Duty Over Hell
by Lady Blade WarAngel
Summary: Naruto has been scorned by the many adults in the Hidden Leaf village all his life, and just when he thinks that it can't get any worse, it does. On His Birthday? He leaves the village in a bid to escape the pain he feels but he starts to learn that duty
1. It's My Party, And I'll Cry If I Want To

O.K. this is my first Naruto fic. This has rather dark themes such as rape, violence and such. This warning is here for those who are soft hearted. Please take my warning into account, and if such things as rape, violence, drugs, depression of any level, self harm of any level, suicide or any of the more darker topics affect you badly, please don't bother to read this fic as it is likely to offend. And when I say rape that's exactly what I mean. There's nothing half-hearted about it. Although I hope that I handled it sensitively. Also this is my first Naruto fic. Just thought I'd add that in. Hehe.

Also I do not own Naruto, as awesome as it is and so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: This fic is rather AU in a lot of ways. If you don't like AU don't read please.

Here is the fic. Do tell me what you think.

SUMMARY: Naruto has been scorned by the many adults in the Hidden Leaf village all his life, and just when he thinks that it can't get any worse, it does. On His Birthday? He leaves the village in a bid to escape the pain he feels but he starts to learn that duty is sometimes far more powerful then one's own personal hell.

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Duty over Hell.

Chapter One – It's My Birthday and I'll Cry if I Want To.

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Naruto walked the streets in a more cheerful mood then usual. He ignored people spitting in the street when they saw him. He ignored the snide remarks that some people spat out. After all, today was his thirteenth birthday. Why shouldn't he enjoy it? Of course he knew no one would remember. Except Iruka-Sensei of course. He didn't expect presents, but it was the one day of the year when he was left alone to his own devices. Iruka-Sensei would buy him Ichiraku's Ramen and he'd wish him a happy birthday. That was good enough for him.

He had training of course and as he saw Sasuke and Sakura on the normal meeting bridge he couldn't help but be happy. After all, even though they didn't know it, how could he not be happy to spend some of his birthday with his two best friends? Of course Sasuke gave him a small smirk as soon as he saw Naruto.

"Hey Loser. You're late." Sasuke stated. Sakura rolled her eyes at this.

"Why do you waste your time Sasuke-Kun?" Sakura asked.

They both expected Naruto to rise to this, but they were both surprised at his response.

"I don't actually care _Sasuke-kun!_ Who made _you_ my mommy? Besides I can bet Kakashi Sensei isn't here yet." Naruto said. Sasuke and Sakura stared at him and then at each other.

"Did he just mock me?" They both said at the same time. Naruto just grinned. He wasn't going to let anything spoil his day. Anything at all. Not Sasuke's teasing, not Sakura's constant, stalker-like obsession over Sasuke, not even Kakashi-Sensei being late. His day was going to be great. Well as great as it could be living in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Kakashi-Sensei appeared then and they of course had to start training. But Naruto was happy enough just doing that. He wanted to make this his best birthday ever, and he was determined to succeed without any trouble.

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Sasuke was glaring at Naruto.

"Come on _Sasuke-Kun!_ Can't you land _one_ hit today? I mean did you get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Naruto was teasing Sasuke and he did NOT like it at all.

"_Since when does Naruto point out MY faults?"_ Sasuke thought to himself.

Kakashi was thinking almost the exact same thing.

"_Sasuke must have not slept properly last night. Although Naruto's Chakra control has been almost perfect today. He's really been concentrating on training. Could be that it's his birthday."_ Kakashi thought to himself. Of course Iruka had told Kakashi that it was Naruto's birthday, and had asked the Jounin to go easy on him. Just for today anyways. But actually, Kakashi felt that Naruto deserved a little praise today.

"Hey Sasuke maybe you need to get more sleep, and train less with yourself. Oh and try some Chakra control. You're too mad at me to even bother with it!" Naruto yelled at the raven-haired male, who glared fiercely at his hyper, blonde teammate.

Kakashi put took out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

"Good work today guys. Naruto, you're getting much better with Chakra control." Kakashi said. Earning a huge grin from Naruto and a huge glare from Sasuke.

"Ok you guys can go home for today." Kakashi said. Naruto just whooped and ran off. But before they could leave, Sakura and Sasuke had been stopped in their tracks by Kakashi.

"Sasuke, Sakura just a second." Kakashi said. They stopped and turned to look at their Sensei.

"Don't tell me, the loser got off early and we have to train more." Sasuke said.

Kakashi smirked under his mask and closed his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

"No. It's Naruto's birthday today. I thought he deserved a little praise seeing as he didn't do too badly today." Kakashi replied stoically.

"Why didn't he say anything?" Sakura asked.

"That loser, he probably forgot it was his birthday." Sasuke quipped.

"No he just doesn't usually get to celebrate his birthday for his own reasons. Iruka-Sensei remembered and told me." Kakashi said quietly.

"Wow! And to think Naruto didn't toot his own horn this time." Sakura said. Sasuke just nodded and smirked slightly.

"We should really get the loser a present. After all, he did point out some stuff I need to focus on in training." Sasuke said. He smirked as he walked off. Sakura followed. Agreeing with Sasuke not because she thought it would gain his favour for once, but because she actually wanted to be nice to Naruto. Kakashi smiled under his usual mask as he watched his two students walk away.

"_Naruto is sure going to get a surprise today."_ Kakashi thought to himself as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Little did he know just how much of a surprise Naruto was going to get…

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Naruto walked to Ichiraku's, still ignoring the glares and nasty comments he was getting. Of course no one dared say such comments as 'demon' or 'monster' or even 'freak' when he was with other people. It was after all forbidden to speak about the nine-tailed fox in the presence of other children. That and Iruka-Sensei never allowed people to be nasty to Naruto when he was there. Kakashi didn't have to say anything he just had to glare and people shut up. Of course if Naruto was with Tsunade-sama then no one even looked at Naruto funny. After all it was the third Hokage who made the law and so of course the fifth Hokage was guaranteed uphold it in the same manner.

Of course no one was with Naruto at the moment so the insults were nastier then usual. After all, it was the day of his birth. Most people knew about it. Even if the other Genin's didn't know anything about his birthday. The village people always acted like a funeral was happening on his birthday.

Naruto whistled a cheerful enough tune as he decided to stop and look at some fruit on one of the many stalls.

"Get lost you freak. We don't serve demons here." The man who ran the stall hissed out. Naruto just grinned.

"Never mind, you're the one loosing money." He said. He walked off, leaving the man steaming. Of course today was the one day of the year when he didn't give a damn what anyone thought, because for him to be born there had to have been a good reason. So his birthday, despite the lack of celebration, was still important to him.

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Sasuke and Sakura were both glaring slightly as they looked around. They didn't know what the hell to get for Naruto. The only thing they _knew_ Naruto loved was ramen. They both decided to sit down and think.

"Well maybe we should ask Iruka-Sensei." Sakura said quietly.

"He doesn't come out of classes until four today." Sasuke replied.

"Well Naruto MUST have mentioned something he wanted?" Sakura questioned.

"He was complaining about his shurikens and kunais." Sasuke said.

"Yeah I remember that. He said some of them got lost during training and he only has about three shurikens and two kunais." Sakura said.

"It works I guess." Sasuke stated. The two wondered to the weapons shop and while Sakura looked at the small shurikens Sasuke looked at the kunais with slight interest.

In the end, Sasuke settled on a set of twenty kunais that had a unique flower yin-yang symbol on the handles. Sakura decided to get matching shurikens, and as the pair left the shop Sakura saw Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji and Lee.

"What were you two doing in the weapons shop? Isn't it Naruto who usually loses his weapons?" Neji asked. He had a smirk on his face.

"Actually it's Naruto's birthday today." Sakura said quietly.

"Are you serious?" The group looked in the direction of the voice to see it was Kiba who had spoken. Shino and Hinata were also slightly staring as they stood next to Kiba.

"Yes I'm serious Kiba." Sakura glared at him slightly.

"Why shouldn't the loser have a birthday? Everyone else does." Sasuke retorted. He felt the least he could do was stick up for Naruto on his birthday.

"Yeah maybe so. But Naruto has never mentioned his birthday." Kiba replied.

"We know. Kakashi-Sensei told us." Sakura quipped.

"And who told him?" Lee asked. He had his usually dopey grin on his face.

"Iruka-Sensei." Sakura replied.

"Well we might as well make sure that idiot has a decent birthday." Kiba said. Akamaru yipped in agreement. The others nodded.

"There's only one problem." Shikamaru said stoically.

"What might that be?" Neji asked.

"We don't have a clue what to get him. How Troublesome." Shikamaru replied.

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Naruto lay down on the grass happily looking up at the sky through the branches of his chosen shade. It was quite a warm day and Naruto completely relaxed for once. Until a familiar face blocked his cloud-gazing.

"Naruto, Tsunade-Sama wants to see you." Shizune said. There was a grin on her face.

"Okay Shizune Nee-chan." Naruto said. He got up and followed Shizune. Even though he was loathed to be separated from his lazy cloud-gazing.

As he walked along with Shizune, Naruto couldn't help but feel he was being set up slightly. Something didn't seem normal for Tsunade to be calling Naruto to her office. She didn't usually bother sending Shizune. Usually she yelled out of her window. You could hear her a mile away.

"_Maybe she stopped doing that. I heard the elders say she might put a crack in the mountain by yelling so much."_ Naruto thought to himself. Of course that was until he heard the all too familiar yelling of Tsunade.

"KAKASHI GET HERE NOW OR I'M SELLING PAKKUN ON THE BLACK MARKET!"

"_Or maybe not…"_ Naruto thought to himself as he was finally led to Hokage tower.

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As Neji, Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, Shino and Chouji looked around for something for Naruto, they bumped into Ino and Ten Ten.

"What are you all doing?" Ino demanded.

"Looking for something to get Naruto for his birthday. It's so troublesome." Shikamaru replied lazily.

"Wait _Naruto_ has a _birthday_?" Ino asked incredulously.

"Yes and it appears to be today." Shino replied.

Ino and Ten Ten both shrugged as they joined the search.

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Naruto was finally inside Tsunade's office.

"Hi Tsunade Baa-Chan." Naruto said cheerfully. Shizune left the room.

"I heard it's your birthday today brat." Tsunade said. There was a grin on her face.

"Did Iruka-Sensei tell you?" Naruto quipped.

"Nope." Tsunade answered.

"Then I suppose Iruka-Sensei told Kakashi-Sensei and _he_ told you." Naruto stated.

"Yes and no. I looked it up in your records, and Kakashi-Sensei came and told me at lunchtime." Tsunade said firmly.

"Oh!" Naruto said quietly.

"I have a birthday present for you." Tsunade said. Her voice just a tiny bit awkward. Naruto blinked and wondered what on earth Tsunade would have thought to get him. She went over to her cupboard and opened it. She pulled out a nice looking, black-sheathed katana.

"I was given one on my thirteenth birthday. So I thought it would be appropriate to give you one. Especially since Kakashi plans to start teaching you all how to use a katana." Tsunade said. She smiled happily. Naruto's eyes widened at such a kind gift. He couldn't help himself as he threw his arms around Tsunade's neck and hugged her. Usually hugging anyone was not something Naruto did but he could act weird if he wanted to.

"Thanks Tsunade Baa-Chan. You're awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. Tsunade just grinned and hugged the boy back.

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Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji walked off to training later that day.

"What did you get him?" Ino asked her two team mates.

"I got him a Shogi board. He really needs to get better at strategy and Shogi will help him do it. It'll be troublesome. I'll have to teach him how to play." Shikamaru replied.

Chouji blinked.

"I got him this jacket. I've seen him looking at it a lot lately maybe he's thinking of changing his colour from orange to blue." Chouji said cheerfully.

"Well I got him this scroll on jutsu theory. He does need to brush up on some stuff. I figured I'd try and be helpful." Ino said quietly. The three made their way to their usual training ground to find Asuma, hoping that Naruto would like their gifts.

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Neji, Lee and Ten Ten went to meet Gai-Sensei at their appointed meeting place. They had a D rank mission to complete today, and they wanted to complete it so they could get to Ichiraku's at four. They knew Naruto wouldn't turn up until five, as they'd been told by Kakashi. Neji looked at the book he'd purchased for Naruto. He'd found out a while ago that Naruto actually liked reading a good book. Although Neji had been sworn to secrecy.

Ten Ten had decided to get Naruto a summoning scroll. It was something she knew he would find useful if he did lose anymore of his weapons. Lee had got Naruto some training weights that Naruto could attach to his arms and legs, to train with. They met up with Gai and went off to do their mission without complaint.

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Kiba, Shino and Hinata were sitting under a tree near their usual training ground, to meet with Kurenai. Kiba had bought Naruto a leather bound sketchbook. He remembered that Naruto used to like drawing when they were younger, and thought it might be a good idea. Shino had seen an interesting looking weapon pouch and had got it for Naruto. Hinata had bought a blue beaded bracelet, it had the design of a dragon in the material and attached by string. Hinata blushed, not knowing how she was going to give this to Naruto but she would somehow overcome her shyness and do it.

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At around five, Naruto walked to Ichiraku's where he was supposed to meet Iruka-Sensei. As he walked into the stall he noticed how crowded it was to how it normally was. That was when he noticed that all of his friends were there. They all grinned at him.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO!" They all yelled at him. Naruto was so shocked and happy that he almost fainted.

_Almost…_

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Naruto walked home that night, so happy to have finally celebrated his birthday in a way that was normal. His friends had all turned up and he had spent the whole evening smiling and talking to the people he cared about. He was amazed in himself that he actually had that many friends that had thought about him. As he walked down the dark street to his apartment he whistled a cheerful tune and never noticed the leering eyes following him from the shadows.

His eyes watched lustfully as the blonde whistled his tune. His face half hidden in shadows. His tongue, licked his lips, as though he were about to gain a sweet tasting treat. Naruto however was still unaware of the male watching him. He was only a couple of metres away from his apartment building.

Naruto didn't expect it when someone pushed him into an alleyway. He felt himself pinned against a wall with no hope of escape. He struggled as he felt a pin-prick in the back of his neck and weakness took over his whole body. He couldn't move, it was taking all of his strength to keep himself standing. But the thing he felt most at the moment was fear.

"_Who is this guy? What the hell does he want with me?"_ Naruto thought. Terror filled every inch of his being.

"Don't worry so much Naruto-kun. I can see the fear in your eyes." Naruto widened his eyes at the familiar voice and his terror intensified.

"I just came to give you a special birthday present." The voice quipped. Naruto bit his lip as he felt hands travel up and down his body. He felt a kunai tear his clothes from his body, and tearing his skin at the same time, as he winced hoping that this was some sort of nightmare.

"_I'm going to wake up soon. This is a complete and total nightmare…"_

Naruto felt hands touch his bare skin that was pin-prickled with cold. He tensed as he felt those hands touching his skin. Travelling all over his body. Even in places he himself hadn't dare touch before.

"_This is going to end soon… I'm going to wake up soon…"_ Naruto was still thinking to himself. He was trying to will his body to move. But it wouldn't obey him. His mind was feeling awfully fuzzy but he dared not close his eyes, even for a moment. He was afraid of what would happen if he did. He felt his attacker bite him hard on his neck. Hard enough to draw blood, as Naruto felt the warm liquid trickling along his collarbone.

Naruto tried to struggle more violently now but still found himself too weak to move properly. It was like all his Chakra had been sucked out of him. He felt the cold metal of a kunai, tearing at his skin, and felt the heavy flow of warm blood, flowing from wounds. Naruto couldn't even tell where the wounds were. His mind was shutting down on him. The shock was taking over, as his brain tried to make him believe he was somewhere else. But he couldn't ignore it when his attacker dropped him on the floor, and turned his body over. He felt his face touching the cold pavement, and yet he was still too weak to move, and he cried as he felt his attacker tugging his pants and boxers from his body.

"_I'm not going to wake up. This nightmare isn't going to end…"_ Naruto thought to himself as he felt his attacker straddle him from behind. Then he felt unbelievable searing pain as he was entered, roughly and rudely. Naruto bit his lip so hard that he drew blood. He didn't want to give his attacker the satisfaction of him crying out in such pain. But the pain only seemed to be getting worse as Naruto couldn't hold his pain in anymore. It seemed to go on forever. The searing pain of his attackers' thrusts, and the burning pain, that for some reason didn't make him lose consciousness. Naruto didn't know when it ended finally, he was in so much pain now it didn't matter when it ended, he just hoped that his attacker would show some mercy and simply kill him. He was in for no such luck.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun. You won't be in pain forever. I'll see you soon." The voice said. He left Naruto, on the floor in a pool of his own blood. And as Naruto slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness he heard his attacker, _no_ his _rapist_, laughing in his ears.

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Okay I hope you all liked this chapter. Sorry to all you lemon fans, but I didn't feel like being descriptive with the rape scene. After all it's a sensitive subject for some people.

Also, Nee-Chan is big sister. Not to be mistaken for Nii-Chan, which means older brother. It can be used as an honorific like kun or san. Sama is master or another form of title, like Sensei. Oh and Baa-Chan is one way of saying grandmother. Just for reference here.

Also I feel I made Sasuke a little out of character in his defence of Naruto. I apologise if you all thought he was a bit out of character. But I have grown up with a belief that birthdays are rather important and that people should be treated nicely on their birthdays, and I kinda projected that onto Sasuke. LOL!

Please R&R and tell me what you think. I'll update soon.


	2. Why Did This Have To Happen?

O.K. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I have decided NO pairings yet. I don't know if there will be any. At the moment this story is mostly about Naruto's darker thoughts and how he handles the darker parts of life. Including his rape. But you won't know who the rapist is for awhile. Oh and also I apologise, I meant to update this on Thursday last, but there was a problem with where I am so it wouldn't let me update. Anyways, please enjoy the next chapter.

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Duty Over Hell.

Chapter Two – Why Did This Have To Happen?

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Naruto felt very groggy. He heard footsteps passing the room he was in. Not all the same person, many different people, all with different echoing footsteps. He heard many different sounds. There were bleeping machines, distant sounding voices, screens, opening and closing, along with various other sounds. Naruto wanted to open his eyes but his head hurt from being disorientated. He could smell that mix of disinfectant and bleach that you only get in hospitals, so Naruto knew where he was straight away.

He blinked his eyes open very slowly, his vision blurred, but he could just make out someone sitting next to his bed. He blinked more and saw Tsunade next to his bed.

"I'm in the hospital aren't I?" Naruto stated slowly. Tsunade nodded.

"How did I get here?" Naruto questioned.

"Sasuke and Kiba saw you on their way back home and bought you here. They haven't left since then. That was about eleven o clock last night. To answer your unasked question, it's now four o clock in the afternoon." Tsunade replied.

Naruto bit his lip so hard that it started bleeding again.

"I'm not going to question you too much now, but from your medical examination I can tell that you were drugged with a drug that stops the flow of Chakra and energy, and then raped." Tsunade said softly. Naruto nodded his head. A single lone tear made its way down his cheek. He didn't attempt to close his eyes, or blink his tear away.

"Do you think that you can tell me what happened?" Tsunade asked gently. Naruto nodded. He explained how the man had jumped him, the needle in his neck, how he had been slashed to a pulp and how he had been brutally raped. As he did this, images of that familiar voice, and that evil leering face, came back to haunt him.

"Do you know who it was that did this to you?" Tsunade asked. It was direct and blunt. Naruto bit his lip as he remembered. He knew who had done this to him alright. But how could he tell Tsunade? He was so confused, and nothing made any sense to him anymore, no matter how hard he tried to piece it all together.

"Naruto?" Tsunade questioned him again. He realised he had zoned out for a while there.

"I'm okay Tsunade Baa-Chan." Naruto answered quietly. Tsunade's hazel eyes probed his thoughts gently.

"I do know who it was." Naruto answered.

"But I'm not ready to talk about it yet." Naruto added, before Tsunade could ask anymore questions.

Tsunade nodded.

"Don't worry Naruto. When you're ready to talk you know you can always talk to me." Tsunade said. Naruto nodded, and the blonde Hokage left the room then. Naruto stayed in the bed trying to figure out what to do. How could he stay here now? In a matter of days, everyone would know what had happened to him. He saw his bag next to his bed. He smiled remembering the events before his ordeal.

"_Isn't it funny how I thought that this was going to be the best birthday I'd ever had. Now I know my birthdays are just doomed."_ Naruto thought to himself quietly.

"_Once everyone knows, they'll just think I'm pathetic. Its bad enough Sasuke calls me a loser all the time. Now it'll be worse. So many people hate me, __and more people will join up to the `let's hate Naruto' club when they find out that I wasn't even strong enough to stop HIM from raping me. Why the hell did this have to happen to me? Just when I thought things were getting better. Just when I thought things weren't so bad."_ Naruto felt sick to his stomach.

"_I haven't got a choice. Once Tsunade Baa-Chan lets me out of the hospital, I'll just go. I'll leave a note in my apartment and go. I have to get stronger and when I do I'll come back. Once I can handle all of this I'll come back and be the best __Shinobi I can be."_ Naruto decided within himself, as he fell asleep.

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Sasuke and Kiba were sat in the waiting room, along with the rest of Naruto's friends. They were all hoping against hope he would be alright. Sasuke and Kiba were praying the most. They'd seen the state he was in, and hoped that somehow Naruto would bounce back.

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A couple of weeks later Naruto was released from hospital. He pretended he was fine. He showed the same face that everyone was used to. But it had become a mask. Naruto felt dead inside. He felt dirty, guilty and so weak it scared him. He packed his things a week after he was released from the hospital. He dressed in a totally new outfit to leave. The jacket Chouji had given him, a pair of black Khaki trousers and red vest top that Iruka sensei had given him, a pair of black boots, that Kakashi-Sensei had given him, and he had gone and bought a new cloth for his forehead protector just a few days ago. It was black, and much more of a hard wear cloth then the usual blue cloth. Having attached his forehead protector to the black cloth, and tied it around his forehead, he could see the sun was setting. He had decided to leave when it was dark. He also attached the weights that Lee had given him underneath his clothes, and tied the blue, beaded, bracelet that Hinata had given him, around his wrist.

He had a few pictures of his friends. He decided to put those in his bag along with the Shogi board from Shikamaru, the theory scroll from Ino, the book from Neji and the sketching pad from Kiba. The weapons from Sasuke and Sakura, the summoning scrolls from Ten Ten and some medical supplies went into his weapons pouch that came from Shino. Naruto was determined not to forget his friends, and so he sat at the tiny desk in his small apartment that had been his home for the longest time, and he wrote a letter for them all. He bit his lip as he looked at the katana that Tsunade had given to him and then he looked over at the new armbands that Ero-Sennin had dropped off in his room before he'd even got home. Naruto grinned and rolled up the sleeves of his jacket for a moment to roll on the armbands. They were a nice royal blue colour. They were supposed to be a birthday present too. Even if he had gotten them late. He strapped the katana to his back, pulled on his pack, and sealed the letter on his desk, holding it down with a heavy looking inkwell. Naruto then left the apartment.

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Iruka was sat with Kakashi, as they glared at a couple of people who were laughing at Naruto's misfortune.

"I wonder how he's doing?" Iruka said quietly. Kakashi nodded silently. Neither of them realised what Naruto was about to do.

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Naruto walked along the dark streets of the hidden leaf village. He knew it would be a long time before he came back to this village, and he knew he would miss it. He bit his lip as he walked through the gates. He turned to look back one last time at the village that had been his home since birth, then, after a very long moment of staring, Naruto finally left. Walking away from the village he had known, and the only friends he'd ever had. He could only pray they would understand why he had had to do this.

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Oh well what do you think people? Good? Bad? Crap? Do tell me your feelings. Please R&R and catch ya soon people.


	3. Right Or Wrong?

Hi everyone. Thanks again for the reviews.

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Duty Over Hell.

Chapter Three – Right or Wrong?

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As Naruto got further and further away from the village, the people he knew as his friends were all sat in the Hokage's office waiting to hear any news about him. That was when Tsunade walked in, a white envelope in her hand.

"Naruto has left the village. He left only this letter in his apartment." Tsunade said quietly. The group waited expectantly for Tsunade to open the letter and when she did open it and start reading it, they could almost hear Naruto's voice from the words.

_To all my friends, _

_I don't know quite how to say this but I have to leave for a while. The whole village seems to know what happened to me, and it makes me feel weak and useless. After all if I can't even protect myself, how can I protect the people I care about? That's why I'm leaving now. I think I need to get stronger before I can come back and carry on with my dreams. I promise that I will come back. I don't know exactly when that's gonna be. Everything is really confusing at the moment, but I trust you guys to be okay for a little while without me. Even though I'm not that important. _

_I don't want anyone to come after me. I need to be by myself at least for now. It's hard to explain but I need everyone to just trust me this one time. I'll see you soon, I hope. _

_Your Friend, _

_Naruto._

The group held their breath as they waited for Tsunade to make a decision.

"He says he's coming back. We'll give him a year. Then we'll go looking for him." Tsunade stated.

"But if we wait that long, then his trail will go cold and we'll never find the loser." Sasuke flared.

"We need to respect his wishes. At least for now." Tsunade said. She left the room, leaving no space for discussion. While the others felt shocked and angry that the Hokage wouldn't help them look for Naruto. They didn't know that the female Hokage was crying as she left the room.

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Naruto was quite a way away from the village now. He felt slight relief the further away he got. No more taunts, no more pain, no more cutting remarks. But he also wouldn't see his friends for quite a while. He sighed as he shrugged his pack on a bit tighter and was still moving. He didn't know his destination yet but he knew he would have to stop in the next village to get something to eat. He had some apples but he wanted to use them when there was nothing else to eat around. It was mid afternoon when Naruto finally reached the next village. He could feel his stomach growling and he was hungry, but as he walked past a fruit stall he saw a young girl being yelled at by the stall owner.

Naruto looked at the girl. She had brown hair that seemed to get lighter nearer the tips. Her eyes were such a mix of colour that Naruto didn't have a clue what colour they really were. One moment he thought her eyes were blue, then brown, then grey and then green, but her eyes, whatever colour they were, were full of mischief. She was dressed in a baggy, black, long-sleeved t-shirt and baggy black jeans. She was also wearing black, flat-heel boots, and black fingerless gloves. Her hair was loose, and styled into and inverted bob and Naruto could see a kunai pouch strapped to her right leg. It too was black.

Naruto blinked. He'd never seen anyone wear so much black before. Then he heard what the yelling was about.

"I'm not selling food to you damn outcasts. You freaks travel around with no one to tell you what's right from wrong, living out in the forest like trash that's been thrown away, we don't what that kind of customer in this town." The man said. The girl didn't let a glare mar her slim features.

"Well you can sell to me, or I can stand here all day waiting and scare away your customers, sir. So what's it gonna be?" The girl said. Her voice filled with cheekiness, along with the big grin on her face.

The stall owner glared.

"Fine. Take the fruit and vegetables. But if I find that you're even a penny short you'll be sorry." The stall owner grumbled. It was then Naruto noticed the girl had a large looking hand wagon with her. He watched her load the fruit and vegetables she had bought and then saw her moving along. She looked older then him by at least a couple of years, and she was about five foot four in height. He was five foot nine. He bit his lip and decided to ask her about these outcasts. They sounded like people he could be around without getting killed.

"Hey excuse me." Naruto yelled. The girl turned and looked at him.

"What did that stall owner mean by outcasts?" Naruto asked. The girl blinked.

"You're new around here I suppose. We're called outcasts because we live in the forest and we have our own reasons for not being able to go back home to our own villages. So what are you doing here anyways kid?" The girl asked.

"To be honest, I'm just trying to find somewhere to stay for awhile. I can't really go back home myself." Naruto said quietly.

"Oh?" The girl answered.

"Well you might as well come along with me. Meet our leader type person. She isn't exactly our boss, but she speaks for us when anyone comes along, and most of the kids listen to her anyways." The girl added.

Naruto blinked as he walked with the girl. He watched her pick up some other supplies, such as meat, fish, and barrels of milk and other things. As they started to walk into the forest, Naruto looked at the girl again.

"Uh… sorry, I forgot to ask your name." Naruto said. He blushed a little with embarrassment.

"I'm Shin. It's short for Shinigami. What's your name?" The girl asked.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto replied easily. Shin grinned.

"Well kid don't worry, you'll be alright with us." Shin said cheerily. Naruto just nodded wondering if he was doing the right thing or not.

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O.K. people tell me what you think once again. Please R&R and see ya next chapter.


	4. The Outcasts

Okay people. Thanks for the reviews again.

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Duty Over Hell

Chapter Four – The Outcasts.

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Naruto took note of how far into the forest he was going as he walked with Shin. After all, if it turned out that he had landed himself into any trouble, then he would at least know of someway to get out of it. Shin gave him a funny look.

"What?" Naruto asked. He wondered if he had something stuck between his teeth.

"I just wondered where you got those weird marks on your face." Shin stated boldly. Naruto glared slightly.

"I dunno I was just born with them." Naruto answered. Shin shrugged. The cheeky grin on her face still remained.

"Don't worry I wasn't trying to mock you. You wanna tell me what your reasons were for leaving your home?" Shin asked.

"Not really. I don't know you well enough yet." Naruto stated. Shin grinned loopily.

"It's OK you can talk to me when you feel ready to." Shin said.

"Can I ask why you wear so much black?" Naruto asked.

"Because I like it. I think it reflects me perfectly. Just like my name." Shin said. Her grin still plastered on her face. They took a couple of more turns deeper into the forest. That was when Naruto saw the camp. Or rather the wooden house/huts that made the outcast homes. Naruto was amazed. The little wooden houses had flat wooden roofs and wooden shutters on the windows. There were also doors that were just plain old planked wood. The huts weren't perfect, they were shabby looking, but they looked sturdy enough to withstand most weather. Naruto counted eight small huts that formed a square. As Naruto walked with Shin into the formation, he saw a bunch of large logs formed into a circle round a foundation that looked ready to make a campfire. Naruto saw a few people come out of the huts. There seemed to be no small children at all. Most of the people were young teenagers like himself. All in all Naruto counted about five teens, including Shin there were six of them. He also saw three younger looking children. They were maybe eight or nine. Altogether that made nine people so far. Naruto took note that two of the huts were larger then the others.

"Hey Shin who's he?" One of the younger children asked.

"His name's Naruto. Where's Rekka, Cho?" Shin asked. The little girl blinked. Her bright violet eyes shone with intelligence as she thought about the answer to her question. Naruto noted that the girl, who couldn't be more then eight years old, but who looked like she was six, had extremely pale skin, like snow, and black hair like onyx, but when she moved her head, you could see streaks of bright violet and bright blue running through it. She had identical pigtails on both sides of her head and her bangs were long and framed her oval shaped face. She wore a violet, long-sleeved top and blue jeans, as well as a pair of white trainers.

"I think she's in the big hut." Cho replied thoughtfully.

"But I'm sure she'll be out in a minute." The little girl added. Shin nodded. She told the group to sit on the logs, and they all seemed to listen to what she had to say. The group stared at Naruto and he was rather nervous of the fact that all eyes were on him. It had never been that way when he had lived in Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves.

At that moment, a young woman came out of one of the larger huts, a small child balanced on her hip. The most it could have possibly been was one year old. But Naruto thought that this child looked much younger. The woman had flame red hair, with streaks of chestnut brown and jet black in it. Her eyes shone two vivid colours, Jade green and deep hazel. She was dressed in black leather pants and a top that reminded Naruto of Tsunade Baa-Chan's top, except it was red, with a black strap holding the wrap around top together. She was also wearing a pair of black leather boots, and a black, long coat, that reached her knees. She looked stern, and she had a katana strapped behind her waist, as well as kunai and shuriken pouches attached to her waist and pant legs.

"Hey Rekka, this is Naruto, it looks like he needs somewhere to go." Shin said. Her voice was bright and cheery. The young woman's eyebrow quirked as she gave a small smirk of amusement.

"Alright, Naruto is it? Come with me." The young woman stated. It was more of an order then a request. Naruto nodded and watched as the woman known as Rekka, handed the small child over to Shin, and walked into the largest hut. Naruto followed wondering what this woman was going to say to him. He also took note of the necklace hanging from her neck. It was a semi-thick gold coin with a phoenix engraved into it, and in the middle of its chest was a large looking flame symbol.

Once Naruto was inside the hut he noticed a large, low table, also made from plank wood, and small, tattered-looking cushions around it for everyone to sit on. There were a few chairs over in one corner, everything looked old and worn. Naruto saw the woman sit in one chair, and then saw her gesture for him to sit in another chair. So he did. He waited for the woman to speak. He didn't want to offend her. There was silence for several moments before the female before him decided to say anything.

"Well Naruto, I'm kind of the speaker for this clan, if you get my meaning." She said quietly, but firmly. Naruto nodded.

"You don't need to be frightened of me, I'm not out to hurt you or anyone else, unless they come here to cause harm. My name, as you probably heard, is Rekka." She said quietly. Naruto nodded.

"Well I left my home for a reason, as did everyone else here. But everyone who came here had to tell me their story before I let them stay here." Rekka stated. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Everyone here knows my story, and I know everyone's story, but they only talk about their stories if they wish to, and it will be the same for you if you choose to stay." Rekka said.

"I don't get why you need to know my story." Naruto stated plainly.

"The reason I ask is because this is an issue of trust. If you can't share your story even with me, then how do you expect to ever overcome it at any point?" Rekka asked.

Naruto nodded.

"I'll tell you if you can swear to me that you won't tell anyone else my story." Naruto quipped.

"I swear to you on the head of my son I will not tell your story to a single soul unless you ask me to, or in dire emergency." Rekka stated.

"You have a son?" Naruto questioned.

"You first kid. Remember?" Rekka answered. Naruto nodded and started with the fact that he had the demon fox sealed within him. Then the hatred of the villagers, the attacks, the bruises, the cruelty. Then he described how things had started to get better, because he had found friends, but then that terrible night, on his thirteenth birthday, when he was raped and left in an alley. He told Rekka how he couldn't face anyone until he got stronger, until he felt whole and himself again.

Rekka nodded.

"You don't have to tell me who it was." Rekka said quietly.

"How do you even know that I know who it was?" Naruto asked.

"I can see it in your face Naruto. Besides I know exactly how you feel." Rekka said quietly.

"How could you possibly know?" Naruto snapped.

"Because I have been through the same things you have Naruto believe it or not. Although I have no idea how it feels to be the container of a creature such as the Demon Fox, Kyuubi." Rekka quipped.

"I don't understand, don't you think I'm a danger?" Naruto asked. He was confused. Someone didn't look at him in disgust when told what he was? Rekka smiled. Naruto would learn that it was a rare smile. The woman's odd, jade/hazel eyes shone with true understanding.

"Well why should you be? If I fill a cup with milk, does the cup also become milk?" Rekka answered. Naruto grinned.

"You said you would tell me your story." Naruto stated. Rekka nodded.

"I promised you and I will keep my word. As a child I was despised in my village. My mother, had apparently been the leader of my village, and when she gave birth to me, she died. So I became the despised killer of my own mother. It wasn't something I could have stopped but no one understood that. I was beaten and abused by the villagers. I hated them and their peace loving hypocrisy, because where I was concerned they were never peaceful. I left my village when I was seven. I was frightened and alone and I didn't want to be beaten anymore. That is when I was found by a rogue ninja. She trained me and I learned that fighting for others was better then running and hiding. So I went from village to village, trying to help others. I'm not saying I'm a hero. I'm far from it, but I felt that what I had should be used for the right reasons." Rekka explained. Naruto was sat listening attentively.

"I was about twelve when I left my teacher's company. As the years went by I met others, who like me, had to leave for one reason or another. They came with me. Some of them learned things from me, and some of them learned things for themselves. That is how this group of 'outcasts' came to exist. I didn't feel I could abandon kids who were like me. If I had been abandoned by my teacher then I would probably be dead now." Rekka stated.

"I bet Shin was the first to join you." Naruto quipped, his curiosity getting the best of him. Rekka nodded.

"She was. When I found Shin she was about nine. It was a couple of months after I left my teacher to do things myself. But her story is hers." Rekka said. Naruto nodded. Rekka waited a few moments before continuing.

"Well one day, about a year and a half ago, I ran into a couple of guys. They were causing trouble for many people. They were part of a group, known as Akatsuki." Rekka stated. Naruto bit his lip, as he remembered seeing Itachi and Kisame, two members of Akatsuki, when he went to look for Tsunade Baa-Chan with Ero-Sennin. It had scared him a little, even though he wouldn't admit it to anyone. Rekka carried on with her story.

"These men were killing innocent people, and causing trouble in the Hidden Mist village. I didn't think that these men could be anymore trouble then anyone else I had ever faced before. So I decided to challenge them. I found out how wrong I was. They were inhumanely strong. At least to me they were. I was still not as strong as I should have been, and I was overpowered. I was only sixteen years old, and I was frightened. There's no shame in admitting fear." Rekka stated plainly.

Naruto looked at her curiously. Rekka bit her lip and looked like she was trying to compose herself a little.

"What happened after they overpowered you? I've seen Akatsuki members before. They don't usually like to leave anyone alive unless they have to." Naruto quipped.

"That's true. One of the two wanted to kill me. But the other one didn't. He said he quite liked my spunk and that maybe keeping me around would be a good idea. I didn't even realise when I was knocked out. The next thing I knew, I was in a dark cell." Rekka bit her lip hard then.

"I didn't lie when I said I understood how you felt Naruto. The helplessness, the fear, the weakness, the confusion, I felt it all and more. I couldn't understand why he picked me to be his toy. I didn't know how to escape and I didn't know what to do about my situation. I was raped repeatedly and I thought about killing myself several times." Rekka stated sombrely.

Naruto looked at her with shock. He hadn't been able to handle being raped once, let alone repeatedly. He didn't know how Rekka survived it.

"If you're wondering how I managed to survive, I have only one person to thank." Rekka said quietly.

"After being held captive for about six months, which is how long I was told I had been gone by Shin, I found that I was pregnant, and I swore that for the sake of my child I would find a way to get out of that cell. I knew if I told my rapist I was pregnant that he would most likely kill me. I knew if I tried to escape using brute force then I'd probably be killed by someone. So I had to outthink them and I managed to escape. I still don't know if they are looking for me, or that if by coming back here, I have put everyone in danger. Although as Shin puts it. If they were looking for me they would have found me a long time ago." Rekka finished. Naruto felt a great respect for his new friend.

"So your son is the little kid outside right?" Naruto questioned. Rekka nodded.

"His name is Taichi but everyone calls him Tai." Rekka said. A smile spread slowly on her face but quickly disappeared.

"You have your reasons to stay here, and you don't need to worry, no one will reveal your location. You only go back if you want to." Rekka said firmly. Naruto nodded and Rekka stood up and walked out of the hut. Naruto followed.

"Alright, everyone this is Naruto, although I'm sure Shin already told you that. He's gonna be staying with us." The group blinked and shrugged. Cho grinned.

"If Rekka likes you then you must be ok." Cho said happily.

"Riiiiiight." Rekka drawled.

"Ok, introduce yourselves, I'm gonna go back to the market, after I unload the cart. We need some meat and extra stuff I forgot about." Rekka stated, as she gave a wave, while she walked off.

Shin grinned.

"Well you know my name and Cho's. Come on you guys stop being so quiet." Shin demanded.

Naruto saw a set of twin boys, next to Cho, they looked about ten. He also saw two male teens and three female teens. The twins, who wore identical, dark blue, long-sleeved tops, and dark blue trousers, with black leather boots, also had the same identical short, messy, golden brown hair and vivid blue eyes.

"I'm Ryuu and this is my twin brother Ryo. We're nine years old." One of the twins stated happily. Cho jumped up and down.

"I forgot to tell you how old I am. I'm seven." Cho yelled. One of the teen boys stepped forwards and put a hand lightly on her head. She stopped jumping straight away. The boy didn't smile or act hyper like Cho at all. He was calm and collected. He had piercing chocolate coloured eyes, and dark violet hair, with black streaks. He wore a simple, baggy, light-grey shirt. It was long sleeved and hooded. He also wore baggy, dark-grey pants, and a pair of black slip on shoes. He reminded Naruto a little of Shikamaru. He seemed to have that whole lazy appearance around him.

"I'm Isamu, and I'm fourteen. Cho is my little sister so if you have any problems with her being hyper come to me." Isamu stated. Then he went quiet. Cho just blinked.

Naruto saw one of the teen girls step forward. She had very dark blue eyes, so dark, that Naruto almost thought they were black. Her hair was tied into braids, one on each side of her head, and then both were made into twin buns, almost like Naruto remembered Ten Ten's hair to be, except this girl had pure white hair, streaked with light blue.

"The same for me and the twins. I'm Yuu, they're my little brothers. I'm fifteen years old." The girl said politely. She was dressed in white, cropped trousers, black ankle-boots and a white vest top. Over that she wore a long, royal-blue, wrap around jacket, with a white sash to keep in place. The sash was tied at the side and hung down next to her right thigh.

Naruto wondered how these people managed to live the way they did. After all it seemed that they had problems getting anything in the village. The other two girls stepped forward. One of them dressed entirely in forest green. She smiled politely.

"I'm Moriko. I'm sixteen years old." She said politely. Her voice was a reminiscent of complete calm. Her forest green clothes consisted of a pair of cloth pumps, gung xi pants and a gung xi top. Her hair, also forest green, was tied in a high ponytail, and the very curly strands hung down like party streamers over her shoulders. Her curly bangs, framed her cream-complexioned, face, and made her forest green eyes shine out more.

The second girl spoke. Her eyes were blood red, and her hair, was long, straight and honey-coloured. It was tied into a bun with two, black, Chinese chopsticks, holding it in place.

"I'm Aiko. I'm fifteen." She said. Her voice was cold as ice. She wore a black, leather mini-skirt, black, knee-high boots, and black kunai holders on each thigh, a white vest top, and a black netted top over it. She also wore black fingerless gloves that she fidgeted with every so often. She walked away after her small sentence to Naruto and that was when the last boy stepped forward.

"I'm Takahiro. I'm sixteen years old." He said. His voice was friendly and Naruto didn't mind him so much. He wore black trousers, a white t-shirt, an open, royal blue shirt over it, and blue ninja sandals like Naruto had owned before. His shoulder length, royal blue hair was tied back with a black strip of cloth.

"Don't worry about it. Aiko is like that with everyone at first. She's still like that with us sometimes. She'll get used to you and once she does, she'll be a little more… friendly?" Takahiro said. Still grinning. His golden eyes shining with mischief.

Rekka came out with the empty hand cart then.

"Takahiro, you better come along with me." Rekka said. Takahiro nodded.

"See ya when I get back kid." He said. He ruffled Naruto's hair and was off with Rekka before Naruto could even say a word. He glared slightly.

"Takahiro is always like that." Shin said. Naruto jumped. He hadn't realised that Shin was still there, holding the baby, Rekka had left her with about an hour ago.

"Look I'll give ya a quick summary since those guys took so long introducing themselves. The big hut you went into with Rekka is where we eat when it's cold and where we usually have our meetings. If it gets really cold we all go in there to sleep. It keeps us warm." Shin stated.

"Does it get that cold here?" Naruto asked.

"It can do some winters." Shin replied.

"The other big hut, is where we store the food, that's why there's no windows. We store everything in there and put in blocks of ice to keep it cold in there. The smaller huts are where everyone lives. In the hut near the food hut, is where Rekka sleeps, with little Tai." Shin said, bouncing the baby in her arms. He looked irritable.

"How old is he?" Naruto asked.

"He's about six months old." Shin replied, then, carried on with her explanation.

"I live in the second hut. I'm by myself at the moment. Isamu lives in the hut across from Rekka's with Cho. Yuu lives in the hut next to mine with the twins. The huts across from me and Yuu are where Aiko and Moriko live. The one next door to Yuu is where Takahiro lives. The one next to Aiko is free at the moment." Shin said.

"Is that where I'm staying then?" Naruto asked. Shin nodded. Tai started fussing greatly. Then he started crying. Naruto and Shin blinked at him.

"Maybe he's bored of me." Shin stated. She then handed the boy to Naruto. His eyes widened.

"What am I supposed to do? I've never looked after a little kid before." Naruto asked. He didn't need an answer. Tai stopped crying a few seconds later.

"Wow, he must really like you. He doesn't take to strangers that quickly usually. I'm the first person he took to after Rekka of course." Shin said. Naruto didn't know why, but when he looked at the six month old boy, whose hair was jet black, he was immediately reminded of Sasuke.

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Ok, that chapter is finally done. I apologise for the huge amount of description. I've been trying to work on that, but I still end up with a lot of it. Anyways, I hope you all read and review. See you soon.


	5. Secret Nightmares

Okay all. Thanks again for the reviews. I'm sorry it took me so long to update this fic. I've been having trouble thinking of how to write this out. Thanks for your patience. Remember I update once a week, usually Friday or Saturday. Let's have a poll. When you review tell me a better day you think I should update this lovely piece of depression, and which ever day has the most votes is the winner. Thanks again for your time.

Oh and for reference again (as I got a flame from some twat that didn't read the A/N: in the first chapter) This fic DOES have offensive material. There IS worse to come. I do NOT care how sick you think I am for writing this and I don't want your opinions on my personal life. If you have a problem with rape, violence, self-harming (which will turn up in later chapters), abuse of several kinds, and a LOT of murderous intent, then DON'T read this. I'll repeat I do NOT want your opinion on my personal life or how I can write about rape, a thirteen year old boy being raped or anything else. You choose to read this then it is your OWN fault if you don't like it.

Thanks again for your patience people.

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Duty Over Hell.

Chapter Five – Secret Nightmares.

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Naruto was still playing with the small little boy when Rekka came back. Rekka blinked.

"He seems to like you." Rekka said quietly. Tai looked up at his mother, and smiled, wriggling around to get out of Naruto's grip. The next second, Tai had fallen and Naruto made a grab to stop him hitting the ground. Tai started crying and Naruto noticed a cut on the boy's knee. He looked at Rekka not knowing what to say. She gave a small smile.

"Don't worry Naruto. He'll be fine in a few seconds." Rekka said. Naruto stared at the cut that was now growing smaller. Naruto's eyes widened in shock as the cut completely repaired its self. The only proof that it was ever there was a tiny little drop of blood that had fallen on the ground. Naruto stared in disbelief.

"How did he do that? I mean I can do that, but not so quick." Naruto blurted.

"Well that is a part of my Kekkai Genkai. My bloodline limit." Rekka said quietly.

"Like Sharingan or Byakugan?" Naruto questioned.

Rekka nodded.

"Yes exactly. Oh come and help us unload the stuff. You can see where we put things." Rekka stated. Naruto nodded, and Rekka took Tai from him. The little boy curled his small fist and waved at Naruto slightly. Naruto grinned and waved at him, the little boy grinned, and giggled happily. Naruto followed Rekka to the storage hut and watched Takahiro unload things.

"Are you gonna stand there and watch or are you gonna help?" Takahiro asked cheekily. Naruto blinked.

"I'll help." Naruto said. He helped unload everything and when he finally got to the bottom of the cart, he saw a futon, pillow and quilt in the bottom. He blinked.

"Those are for you Naruto. You can't sleep on the floor after all." Takahiro stated plainly.

Naruto stared for a few moments at Takahiro, then he looked at Rekka.

"Well you didn't think you'd be sleeping on the floor did you?" Rekka asked.

"I just thought I had to look after myself." Naruto replied.

"We all look after each other here. Even Aiko. Although she is a bit cold sometimes." Rekka said. Naruto was slightly shocked.

"Hey kid, stop looking so shocked." Takahiro said.

"Don't worry if we're ever short of cash for food I'll come looking for you." Rekka said. Naruto saw the smile on her face.

"I'll be glad to help out." Naruto said happily. The other two smiled at him.

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That night, Naruto was curled up on his futon, his head on the pillow and the blanket pulled over him. He wasn't so sure if he felt safe or not. But he knew he was far enough away to stop anyone finding him. Still in his sleep, the tears were falling down his cheeks, and soaking his pillow. He was dreaming about that night and wishing he would wake up.

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Aiko was walking past Naruto's hut to go to bed when she heard a noise. She gritted her teeth and glared angrily, as she pulled out a kunai from one of her thigh holders. Then she listened out again. The noise sounded like a whimper. She listened again and heard that it was coming from Naruto's hut. She walked into the little hut slowly, and into the small bedroom, there she saw Naruto, curled up on his futon, tears streaming down his cheeks, and whimpering. Aiko could see he was sleeping. Aiko bit her lip, her red eyes glistening with sympathy, whilst unsure of what to do. She looked at Naruto, looked around and looked at Naruto again.

"_It doesn't look like anyone else is gonna come."_ She thought to herself.

"_I can't leave him like this. If Rekka had just left me like that I wouldn't be the person I am now."_ Aiko thought to herself. She made a decision then. She went and sat down on the end of Naruto's futon, and shook him gently.

"Naruto, it's Aiko, wake up." Aiko said as softly as she could manage. Naruto bolted up with a start, the tears still streaming down his cheeks. Aiko was shocked when Naruto gripped on to her as though she were his lifeline, and carried on crying. Aiko hugged him back and stroked his hair, like a mother should really, like she remembered her mother doing. She hoped it would calm him down, after all, Naruto may be hyper but he was still a child.

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Naruto couldn't help it, when he woke up and saw Aiko he knew she was safe at least, and gripped on to her as tightly as he could. He felt like if he let go he might be in danger. He felt Aiko hug him back, and stroke his hair. It felt comforting. Soon enough he felt himself falling into deep sleep again.

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Aiko felt Naruto fall asleep. She laid him back down on his futon, and covered him up with his blanket. She couldn't help smiling as she saw Naruto curl up and hug his pillow lopsidedly.

"_What could make a kid like that have such nightmares?"_ Aiko thought as she left the room. She didn't go back to her hut but stayed in the other room. She didn't want to leave Naruto by himself with no one to comfort him should he have another nightmare.

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Naruto woke the next morning and saw Aiko asleep in the next room.

"_I'll go and get her my blanket."_ Naruto thought to himself. He went to get it, but Aiko woke up.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up Aiko." Naruto apologised.

"It's alright." Aiko said quietly. Naruto blinked.

"I'm sorry you had to look after me yesterday too." Naruto said quietly.

"Do you have nightmares like that every night?" Aiko asked. Naruto nodded cautiously.

"I think it might be best if you stay in my hut then. There are two little bedrooms in each hut. I don't think you should be by yourself." Aiko said. Naruto looked at her.

"Are you serious?" Naruto asked. Aiko nodded.

"You're a kid. Just like I used to be. Everyone needs help sometimes." Aiko replied. There were no more arguments from Naruto.

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A year came and went quickly, and throughout that time, Naruto trained with the others, stayed with Aiko, whom he had come to view as an older sister, and helped out where ever he could. But an unexpected visit was soon to change his directions. Naruto wouldn't know what hit him.

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Ok end of chapter five. I'll be updating soon k? C ya L8r people.


	6. Visitors

Ok thanks to everyone who read the last chapter and to all those who added my story to their author alerts and favourites. I really appreciate it. Anyways on to the next chapter.

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Duty Over Hell

Chapter Six – Visitors

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Naruto was training with Aiko, when Shin came into camp, with three familiar faces. Naruto stared at them.

"Gaara, Kankuro, Temari?" Naruto was shocked to see the sand ninjas and took note that they had not changed in appearance in the time since Naruto had seen them.

"Naruto." Gaara replied formally. Aiko glared at Shin.

"I made them promise not to tell anyone where Naruto is, but they said they had a message for him that might interest him." Shin stated. Naruto looked at them. Temari stepped forward.

"Naruto we thought you should know that Otogakure has attacked Konohagakure again. A lot of people are injured and dead. We've been called in to help as allies of Konoha now, Suna sent us and another team. We sent them ahead because we heard you were around here from the villagers. Even if you decide not to go, we thought you should know what's happening." Temari explained. Naruto nodded. He bit his lip. Aiko looked at him.

"Naruto, if you want to go there is nothing stopping you." Aiko said.

Rekka arrived and saw the scene before her. Shin whispered the situation in her ear and Rekka nodded.

"Right Naruto, I think you should go with them, because if you don't go I know you won't forgive yourself." Rekka stated.

"But what about all of you?" Naruto asked.

"Well we're not the ones under attack. I'll send Aiko, Shin and Takahiro with you. We'll all follow on later." Rekka said calmly. Naruto smiled.

"Thanks Rekka." Naruto said quietly. Aiko smirked to herself. Shin glared slightly but not viciously. Naruto shrugged at them both.

"If you don't want to go then don't." He said.

"Are you kidding me? I get a chance to kick sound ninja ass. I'm way up for that." Shin said happily.

"I never knew you had a beef with them?" Aiko questioned. Shin shrugged.

"If you're coming you'd better hurry." Gaara stated. The three nodded.

"I'll go and find Takahiro. You two better get ready and all." Shin said. She ran off before they could object. Less then fifteen minutes later they were on their way. Rekka watched them leave, wishing them all the luck in the world.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The group made their way towards Konoha at top speed.

"So what's happened?" Naruto blurted while they were on the move.

"There was no warning apparently." Temari said quietly.

"What's that mean?" Shin asked.

"The Hokage was critically injured." Temari said sadly. Naruto felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. Tsunade was the closest thing he had to a grandmother. Could he forgive himself for not being there if she died? Could he forgive himself for not being there period?

"Do you know if she's gonna make it?" Naruto asked, as he clutched at the necklace Tsunade had give him, around his neck tightly.

"There's no telling yet. Their finest medical ninja are on it, but the attacks just keep on coming. Wave after wave of sound ninja's keep attacking, it's like a nightmare, from what we got from Rock Lee, he was badly injured when he got to us." Temari stated. Naruto bit his lip.

"He'll be fine. His comrades were worse off." Kankuro said.

"Who was with him?" Naruto asked, fearing the worst.

"Ino Yamanaka and Konohamaru Sarutobi." Gaara answered.

"They're not even his team-mates, and Konohamaru isn't even a Genin yet!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Apparently, Lee and Ino were sent because they were the closest people to Jiraiya-Sama at the time. Lee said that Konohamaru must've followed them. He told us that on the way they were attacked by Kabuto Yakushi. Ino was injured trying to protect Konohamaru. Lee was injured trying to protect them both. They escaped by a piece of luck and got to Suna in time. They're all recovering at the moment. Lee and Ino said they'll be coming on ahead as soon as they're strong enough to make the journey. They told us that Iruka Umino was also severely injured." Temari added. Naruto bit his lip.

"You know him?" Aiko asked. Naruto nodded sadly.

"He'll be okay, unless there are any unforeseen complications." Temari told Naruto.

"I should've been there. I might have been able to help." Naruto replied softly.

"Don't go blaming yourself." Aiko said. Shin nodded besides her.

"If you were there, you might've been killed. Besides that snake bastard plays dirty. Nobody knew he was going to attack Naruto." Shin added.

Naruto nodded. He looked at his sand-nin friends.

"Do you know anything about Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura's been training as a medic-nin, she's probably helping in the hospital." Temari answered.

"Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake were captured by the enemy just before the battle." Gaara added. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Who told you that?" Naruto asked.

"Ino told us that Sasuke and Kakashi had just come back from a mission, and were at the gates. That's when the sound-nin attacked. Sasuke and Kakashi were overwhelmed, knocked out, and taken prisoner. Ino had enough of her own opponents to handle, and if not for Jiraiya and Rock Lee she would've been killed." Temari said. Naruto stopped for a moment. The rest of the group stopped too.

"I can't leave them in the hands of Orochimaru and Kabuto." Naruto said softly. He looked at Shin and Aiko.

"We'll help ya get them back." Shin said. Aiko nodded her agreement. Takahiro just shrugged.

"You guys can go on ahead if you want to. We'll catch up." Naruto said.

Temari and Kankuro nodded. Gaara however stood still.

"Gaara we should get going." Kankuro said.

"I'll go with Naruto." Gaara stated.

"Alright, but make sure you get to Konoha alright." Temari admonished. She knew her brother well enough not to bother arguing with him. Naruto smiled a genuine smile.

"Thanks Gaara." Naruto said. Gaara just nodded. The group split, ready to take on their own tasks.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay everyone. I know I haven't updated for awhile. Serious writer's block is the cause. I got into the middle of this chapter and stopped completely dead. LOL! Anywho's I will update soon. Please R&R everytime you don't review, Orochimaru experiments on an emo kid. SAVE THE EMOS!


	7. The Bone Man Cometh

Okay everyone. Next chapter. I know I left ya all hanging but I've been in Cyprus and it's been hectic. So please forgive me. I took my non-net connected laptop and started writing more chaps. This won't be the last one for an age again. Anywho's Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Also to those people who added me to their alert and faves lists. It's appreciated.

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Duty Over Hell

Chapter Seven – The Bone Man Cometh.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto, Gaara, Aiko, Shin and Takahiro found themselves looking for Orochimaru's secret den. Where ever it might be. They were near the leaf village and found themselves following tracks through the forest towards the border of fire country. All of them were apprehensive, as they got closer to the so called camp. Chakra signatures were converging together in one spot and the new team Naruto were pretty sure that it was the chakra of sound-nin.

"What's the plan then Naruto?" Shin asked. Gaara blinked.

"Naruto plans things?" Gaara asked. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I did mature a bit Gaara." Naruto said.

"I heard what happened to you." Gaara said simply. Naruto chewed at his lip, pain ripping him apart with memories.

"I know you never told who it was, but you should think about this Naruto. Are you likely to have to confront your demons on this mission?" Gaara asked. The group stopped and everyone stared at Gaara. All except Naruto that is.

"If you think so, are you ready for that Naruto? Because this mission will fail if you can't pick up the slack." Gaara said. Aiko hissed at Gaara.

"Leave him alone. He decided to come back and help his village all by himself." Aiko spat.

"It's alright Aiko." Naruto said quietly.

"Gaara is right. If I can't pull my weight I'm no good on this mission. But you can trust that I'll do everything I can to find Sasuke and Kakashi-Sensei. They're like family, and I know that no matter what, I can face my demons for them." Naruto added.

"That's all I wanted to hear." Gaara replied stoically.

"I have a plan. I'll sneak around and find Kakashi-Sensei and Sauske, while you guys distract the enemy." Naruto stated.

"How is that going to help?" Aiko asked.

"Well, they'll think you guys are extra ninja, from either sand or leaf, but no one is expecting me, I haven't been in the village for a year. It was pure luck that you guys found me anyway Gaara. So it makes more logical sense for me to go searching, as I know what they look like and I'm not expected. You guys are. Sort of." Naruto said. Gaara nodded.

"It does make sense. Even if it is dangerous, it's the most likely plan to work, especially as the enemy will be more distracted with us, then Naruto." Gaara stated. The group nodded. Gaara pulled out something from his kunai pouch. It turned out to be three sand village ninja headbands.

"You three take these. But I do expect them back. It works as a better distraction if you're thought to be sand Shinobi. Remember, we're allies of the leaf village now." Gaara said. A very small smirk played on his lips. Naruto grinned and the others put on the headbands.

"Have you still got your headband Naruto? Gaara asked.

"Of course I have. I didn't abandon the village. I just needed some time." Naruto said. Gaara nodded.

"It might be best for you to start using it. You may need to protect your forehead, along with the rest of that thick skull of yours." Gaara said. Naruto grinned.

"Yeah I get it Gaara. I'll see you soon." Naruto said. He snuck off away from the group, who watched until they could no longer see any sign of him, and then they carried on. They knew there would be obstacles, but they had faith in Naruto and were ready to do their best.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

In a dark shadowy room, two males knelt before another male. The two that were kneeling would be described as teenagers. One was Kabuto Yakushi. The other had hair as white as bone, and had two, red, circular marks on his forehead. The seated male, although sat within the shadows could only be one man. Orochimaru.

"Kabuto, what have you learned from examining Kakashi and the Uchiha boy?" Orochimaru asked. His eyes gleamed with a morbid curiosity.

"I can't figure out why Sasuke-Kun never responded to the curse mark. It's unheard of. As for Kakashi, I can't figure out how it is that he is able to use the Sharingan eye without any Uchiha blood. I think I'm close to solving that mystery though." Kabuto replied.

"Good get back to work then Kabuto." Orochimaru said happily. He then turned to the other male.

"Kimmimaru, we appear to have some guests. Probably leaf ninja hoping to recover their comrades. Deal with them immediately." Orochimaru said calmly.

"Of course Orochimaru-Sama." The other male replied. Orochimaru grinned sadistically.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara, Aiko, Takahiro and Shin hadn't gone very far before they ran into their fist obstacle. The male stood calmly in their way.

"Move aside. We're here for our allies." Gaara stated.

"I can't allow that. My master has plans for them." The male replied.

"Your master?" Shin asked.

"Yes my master. Orochimaru-Sama." The male answered.

"You must be Gaara of the Desert." The male added, looking at Gaara.

"Good guess." Gaara replied stoically.

"Not really. Your description is well known as a Jinchuriki. Akatsuki are looking for them all." The male stated.

"And you are?" Gaara hissed.

"My name is Kimmimaru Kaguya of the Kaguya clan. I'm the only survivor of that clan. With good reason." Kimmimaru replied. With that said, he pointed his fingertips on his hands at the group, and they were horrified to see the fingertip bones slowly launching out of his fingers, then soaring towards them at the speed of light...

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto was exploring the underground built base.

"_That Snake bastard must've been planning this for awhile to build a base in such detail underground."_ Naruto thought to himself as he carried on looking for Kakashi and Sasuke.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Aiko, jumped in fright. She'd never seen anything like this in her whole life. She was terrified, and split second glances at Shin and Takahiro showed the same fear. That fear soon vanished when a wall of sand appeared in front of them and blocked the fingertip bones from reaching any of them. They looked at Gaara to see him still poised, with his arms crossed over his chest. He was completely calm.

"You don't need to worry." Gaara said calmly.

Kimmimaru glared.

"Without sand you're nothing, all I have to do is get rid of that gourd on your back." Kimmimaru said. He smiled.

"You'll never be able to do it bone man." Gaara countered. Kimmimaru smirked, as he reached his right hand over to his left elbow and started pulling out the bone. Gaara remained non-plussed as Kimmimaru pulled out his whole forearm bone, which seemed shaped like a sword. Even whilst the others were disgusted beyond belief, Gaara was already formulating a strategy. Aiko however was staring in disbelief. She knew this boy somehow but couldn't think of where she had seen him.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Temari and Kankuro had just arrived in the village hidden in the leaves, and could see the destruction. The Hokage Tower was almost completely destroyed. Many people were around trying to help the injured. One of them was Sakura Haruno. They decided to find out who was in charge from her.

"Sakura!" Temari called her. She turned and looked at them and a half smile appeared on her face.

"Temari, Kankuro, Jiraiya-Sama is near the Ninja Academy. He's in charge at the moment while Tsunade-Shishou is out of action." Sakura said.

They nodded their thanks and headed towards the Ninja Academy. They saw Sakura going back to healing an injured Shinobi.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Aiko glared fiercely as she realised that anything she may be capable of wasn't good enough to stop this enemy. He was obviously a dangerous opponent. She noticed that Gaara was completely calm and collected. Kimmimaru's attacks always bounced off of the sand as if Gaara already knew how strong his opponent was and had already prepared his sand months in advance. Kimmimaru's blows never hit. Even when he started aiming for the rest of the group, Gaara's sand seemed to have a mind of its own and protected them.

Gaara could tell that Kimmimaru was tiring and soon, would be his time to strike, when Kimmimaru's speed dwindled.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto had been searching for awhile now. He had started out trying to sense Sasuke and Kakashi's Chakra signatures, but it seemed like something was stopping him. So he had decided to just let his instincts carry him. That usually worked well enough for him after all.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kimmimaru was tiring. He knew he couldn't carry on a fight like this for much longer. He looked at the group, he wasn't sure about any of their weaknesses, as the only thing he'd been fighting was sand. He looked at the blonde female a little more closely. She seemed very familiar, although he couldn't quite place her.

He decided to use one of his most lethal attacks. If he couldn't get through the sand he would just have to crush it. He watched the horror on the faces of the group as he put his hand to the back of his neck, and started pulling out his own spine.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Temari and Kankuro found Jiraiya helping to remove Shinobi from wreckage around the academy. He saw them immediately and came over to them.

"What is the situation Jiraiya-Sama?" Kankuro asked. The toad sage looked to be thinking about this for a moment before answering.

"It's pretty bad. We've lost Sasuke and Kakashi, and God knows what Orochimaru's plans are for them. Many Shinobi have been killed today, and our Hokage is in a bad way. Sakura and Shizune, Tsunade's other apprentice are both hoping for the best but I can't say that the chances are good." Jiraiya said sadly.

"If Naruto were here maybe he'd be able to bring her out of it. She was always fond of him. He was like her own kid." Jiraiya added sadly.

"You might just get your wish Jiraiya." Kankuro said. Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"You've seen him?" Jiraiya asked. His face looked hopeful.

"Yes. He and Gaara have gone to try and get Sasuke and Kakashi back from the enemy." Temari replied. Jiraiya smiled for the first time in a long time.

"He'll bring some hope back with him." Jiraiya said happily.

"Don't tell anyone else about this yet. If anything happens while he tries to rescue Sasuke and Kakashi, I don't think anyone else could take any more bad news." Jiraiya added. Temari and Kankuro nodded their affirmatives and started helping Jiraiya pull people out of the wrecked buildings.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kimmimaru had pulled his whole spine out of his body and slashed through the sand with ease, cutting Gaara's cheek. Gaara looked just slightly angry. He made a few hand signs, and the sand formed into what looked like a weird sort of giant fat Japanese doll. Kimmimaru couldn't slash through it, and while he tried, he didn't notice the extra sea of sand creeping up behind him.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto had come across some forms of labs. He was going looking inside each one, when he came across Kakashi, strapped to a table. Naruto ran in and started gently slapping his Sensei's face to bring him around.

"Kakashi-Sensei, Kakashi-Sensei, wake up." Naruto was getting a little worried. He noticed needle marks on Kakashi's arms and the vials of red liquid around. Naruto knew that liquid could only be blood.

"_They're trying to figure out how to use Kakashi-Sensei's Sharingan."_ Naruto thought. He kept trying to wake up Kakashi by gently shaking him and slapping his face.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

It was too late by the time Kimmimaru realised that Gaara was creating a giant sand coffin for him. Gaara used the hand signs and the sand closed around him. The last thing he heard was

"Sand Burial!" Then everything went black.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi heard someone calling him.

"_Kakashi-Sensei!"_

It wasn't Sasuke. Kakashi knew that much. His mind was hazy, but Sasuke didn't call him Sensei. The voice sounded so far away.

"_Kakashi-Sensei, wake up!"_

The voice seemed closer now. It wasn't Sakura, this voice was male. It sounded so familiar. But could it possibly be?

"_KAKASHI-SENSEI!"_

The voice was loud and clear now. Kakashi felt light slaps on his face and someone shaking him. There was only one way to find out who it was of course. By attempting to open his eyes, no matter how hazy he felt.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara, Shin, Aiko and Takahiro were looking for signs of Kimmimaru coming out of the sand coffin. But there were none.

"It's finished. We need to keep going." Gaara said stoically. The others nodded, and they started walking. Aiko however lingered a little. She was still trying to think about where she knew Kimmimaru from. She knew the question might haunt her for a long time. But then again, the answer could be even more haunting.

As she walked away, she didn't notice the figure pull himself from the sand. Kimmimaru stared after the group. That girl and Gaara intrigued him. He wanted to know more. Orochimaru had not exactly treated him fairly throughout his time with him. That and Kimmimaru had been tossed aside once he became ill. His body was slowly deteriorating, but he wanted to find out more about that girl before he died. That he was sure of.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto could see Kakashi coming around.

"Kakashi-Sensei, you're awake." Naruto said happily. He sighed in relief.

"Naruto? Is that you?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeap same old me Kakashi-Sensei." Naruto stated. A grin broadened across his face. Kakashi blinked a few times.

"You look different. Not by much, but you definitely look different." Kakashi stated. Naruto untied the straps that bound Kakashi to the table. Kakashi sat up slowly and seemed very unbalanced.

"Kakashi-Sensei, are you alright?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah Naruto, they just pumped me full of drugs to keep me here. I'll be fine once I regain my senses." Kakashi stated firmly, even if he seemed a little groggy. Naruto grinned.

"You sit and rest up a bit Kakashi-Sensei. I'll go and try to find Sasuke. Do ya have any idea where they took him?" Naruto asked. Kakashi nodded.

"I heard something about a dungeon lab one floor down near the end of the corridor. I was still hazy at the time but it's the only lead we've got." Kakashi replied.

Naruto nodded.

"I'd better get going. We need to get out of here fast. Gaara and a few friends of mine are distracting the sound ninjas right now, but once someone comes to check on you and Sasuke I don't think they'll be too concerned with Gaara anymore." Naruto quipped.

"I can't let you go alone Naruto." Kakashi said. He tried to stand but found himself sitting down again straight away. His head was spinning.

"Don't be too worried about me Kakashi-Sensei. You need to stop yourself feeling dizzy we might need to make a quick getaway, right?" Naruto questioned. Kakashi managed a half-hearted smile under his mask. Strangely enough they hadn't taken the mask off. Although Kakashi supposed it was probably because they were more interested in his Sharingan eye.

"I'll be back as quickly as I can Kakashi-Sensei." Naruto said. He left the room before Kakashi could argue. Naruto heard Kakashi whisper something that made Naruto smile as he left.

"Good luck Naruto."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke felt weak. He felt so drained it was like he had no Chakra at all. He could barely move and nothing seemed to be responding to what his brain said, except for a weak struggle of a response. He could see a figure in the shadows of the room.

"Sasuke-kun, you're finally awake." Someone said. Sasuke cringed at the suffix, and realised that he couldn't see who it was that was talking to him.

He was chained to a wall by his wrists and ankles, and realised that as hard as he tried, he couldn't get up enough Chakra to perform an escape jutsu. He was helpless.

"Feeling helpless Sasuke-kun? Weak? Unable to move?" The voice asked him. Sasuke managed a half-hearted Uchiha death-glare.

"Don't worry about it too much Sasuke-kun. I had Naruto in this very same position a year ago. Although I didn't need to chain him." The voice held a smirk that Sasuke didn't need or want to see.

"Bastard." Sasuke hissed out. That was when he found he could still talk.

"Naruto-kun didn't say that. There was a lot of pleading and crying. Must've been the shock. Let's see how you do." The voice said. Sasuke felt his eyes widen involuntarily.

"Keep the hell away from me you bastard." Sasuke hissed.

"That was a pointless waste of breath Sasuke. You can't move or defend yourself at the moment. If you're lucky you'll be able to struggle weakly like poor Naruto-kun. If I knew where he was I might not be that bothered with you. He was amusing." The voice said.

"Why don't you show yourself you coward?" Sasuke hissed.

"All in good time Sasuke-kun." The voice said, an evil laugh escaping the room.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto had made his way even further underground, and was walking down the corridor when he heard that same soulless laugh that he had heard that night over a year ago. He bit his lip, and started running, and he prayed that Sasuke had not become _his_ next victim.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke felt absolute horror as the voice finally came out of the shadows, and had a face. Sasuke tried struggling against his restraints, but he couldn't succeed, his body was not obeying him. The evil leering face that Sasuke knew had stared at Naruto over a year ago was heading for him. He felt a hand on his face and cringed, as the hand travelled downwards. Sasuke's fears began to escalate if that were even possible.

"Aren't you going to cry a little, Sasuke-kun? You're not very much fun. Naruto was more fun." The voice said. Sasuke cringed visibly and then yelled in a very un-Uchiha-like manner, at the top of his lungs.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME YOU FREAKING BASTARD!"

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto was getting closer to the room. That was when Naruto heard the yell.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME YOU FREAKING BASTARD!"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"_That was Sasuke. He sounds scared."_ Naruto thought as he started running, not caring if anyone heard him, just hoping to get to Sasuke in time.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke heard footsteps running towards the room, but didn't hold up too much hope of being saved. He figured it was most likely one of the sound nin doing something else.

"_God help me."_ He thought to himself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto ran and opened the door at the end of the corridor, and stood frozen in horrified shock. There was his former attacker, hands all over Sasuke, and trying to undo his pants. Naruto felt his blood boil.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF HIM YOU BASTARD!" Naruto yelled. He leapt into the air and kicked the male flying across the room.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke heard the door open, but his attacker was too busy trying to undo Sasuke's pants to notice. Then he heard a familiar voice yell.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF HIM YOU BASTARD!" Sasuke turned his head and his hopes rose. It was Naruto. He almost couldn't believe it. He looked to see the shocked face of his attacker as well, so Sasuke knew he wasn't dreaming. He saw Naruto leap into the air and kick the male flying into the opposite side of the room.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked tentatively just to make sure.

"Yeah Sasuke-Teme it's me." Naruto said.

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!

Thought I was going to reveal the rapist this chapter right? Sorry but no. Next chapter I will though. I promise. (grins and winks)

Okay, thanks for reading this chapter and I will be updating soon. Please R&R and tell me what ya think, unless it's some crap about what an evil sick person I am. If so I don't want to hear it.

Thanks for your time and see y'all again next chapter.


	8. The Snakes Den, Rapist Revealed

Ok everyone. Next chapter of Duty Over Hell. I'm finally gonna reveal the rapist this chapter. The rapist is...

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IRUKA!

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No I'm fucking with y'all. It's not really Iruka. But I am going to reveal the rapist this chapter as promised.

Anywho's thanks to all those who've been reading, who've reviewed and who've added me to their faves and story alerts. I send my love and EGGPLANT!

Nope still messing with ya, there is no eggplant, sorry about that. (grins) On to the next chapter.

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Duty Over Hell.

Chapter Eight – The Snakes Den, Rapist Revealed.

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Naruto glared at his former attacker. His eyes filled with terrifying hate, for the first time in his young life. His attacker? Why it was Kabuto. Naruto had hated himself for being too weak to stop Kabuto raping him. He'd managed to use a Rasengan on him to protect Tsunade Baa-Chan, but he had been powerless when it came to protecting himself.

Of course staying with the outcasts had taught him a lot. Like you couldn't always control what happened to you. Kabuto had planned his attack on Naruto, probably for a while. Naruto hadn't understood why, especially in the beginning, but he had grown stronger. He had vowed he would never be helpless again.

Kabuto was sprawled on the ground where Naruto had kicked him to. Sasuke was still chained to the wall, half out of it himself from the same drugs that had been used on Naruto a year ago. Naruto heard a tentative voice, talking to him.

"Naruto?" Naruto realised that it was Sasuke talking to him.

"Yeah Sasuke-Teme it's me." I answered.

"Just in the nick of time as usual, you cut that close Dobe." Sasuke stated. He sounded less afraid and more like himself now.

"Well you know what they say. A hero always comes at the last minute." Naruto replied. Smirks graced both their faces.

Kabuto got to his feet.

"You weren't so tough last year Naruto-kun." Kabuto said. A smirk on his face also. Naruto glared fiercely, as did Sasuke.

"That look isn't going to stop the fact that you were too weak to protect yourself. How are you going to protect Sasuke-kun now?" Kabuto questioned.

"I got a lot stronger bastard and if it takes me to my dying day you'll pay for what you did to me, and what you tried to do to Sasuke." Naruto hissed.

Kabuto glared, and his hands started to glow green. Naruto registered that easily.

"_Chakra scalpel."_ Naruto thought to himself, as Kabuto charged at him.

Naruto dodged and pulled out a kunai quickly. The only way he was going to win this fight was if he dodged Kabuto's blows and managed to land his own. While Naruto was dodging, he was trying to find a weakness in Sasuke's chains. After all, saving Kakashi-Sensei and Sasuke was his priority. Then he figured it out.

He kept dodging Kabuto, making it look random. He had to be careful of what he was doing. After all, he could end up causing Sasuke an injury. But Kabuto was unlikely to hand the key over so easily.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shin, Takahiro and Aiko were all following Gaara. Of course they had no idea of where they were going, just as Naruto hadn't. They came across a large hall, where they found none other than Orochimaru waiting for them.

"Welcome sand ninja." Orochimaru hissed. The group glared. If it was possible, Shin glared the hardest. Orochimaru stared at her.

"Why hello Shinigami. It's been a terribly long time hasn't it." Orochimaru stated. A smile of glee made its way over his face.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi was feeling a lot better and was making his way down to find Sasuke and Naruto. It seemed to be taking longer than Kakashi thought it would. There were only two explanations for this. One was that Naruto was still searching and two was that Naruto had run into the enemy. Kakashi thought the second option more likely. Kakashi made his way quickly towards the dungeon lab he'd heard talk of.

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Naruto had almost dodged himself into the right position. Once he got there all he had to do was dodge once more. Which he did. Kabuto growled as he saw his hands hitting the chains the bound Sasuke. Naruto grinned as Sasuke's hands became free. Sasuke fell to the floor, and braced himself for impact with his hands. But now his hands were free, he could work the chain off of his feet while Naruto kept Kabuto busy.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shin glared fiercely at Orochimaru.

"Hello father." Shin spat out the word father as though it were a bad and poisonous word.

"Awe don't you have a hug for your daddy Shinigami?" Orochimaru asked. He faked a hurt expression.

"I'd rather hug a flesh-eating crab." Shin answered. Orochimaru grinned.

"That can be arranged if you would like." He hissed.

Aiko, and Takahiro looked shocked.

"That's why you hate the sound?" Takahiro asked.

"Figures that'd be the reason Shin." Aiko added. Shin shrugged.

"You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family." Shin replied.

"Very true." Gaara said. At that moment Gaara used his sand to create a barrier.

"I think it's time we left. While usually I wouldn't run from a fight, we have a different objective." Gaara said quietly. The others nodded then fled, leaving Orochimaru cursing.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi heard the sounds of a fight as he got closer. He hid behind the frame of the door and peeked round, seeing Naruto going head to head with Kabuto and Sasuke trying to get his feet unchained, he decided it was time to get involved himself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara, Aiko, Shin and Takahiro were running along the corridors, trying to avoid more sound ninja. They heard something about checking the prisoners.

"These guys are stupid." Shin stated.

"Maybe not." Gaara replied.

"How so? They're letting us know their plans." Aiko stated.

"That's the exact problem. We have no idea if they're really going to check on the prisoners or not. They may be trying to trick us." Gaara replied.

"How about grabbing one guy on his own, and finding out then?" Takahiro questioned.

"Easier said than done. I haven't seen any solo workers. The sound ninja hang around in groups of three." Gaara stated. The group nodded as they kept moving.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke was struggling to get the chains on his ankles lose. In fact he was making no headway whatsoever with them. He looked at Naruto who was fighting with fierce determination. He had tried to gather enough energy to perform the escape jutsu, but he had no energy left thanks to the drugs Kabuto had given him. He saw Kabuto finally get a real hit on Naruto then. A chakra-scalpel infused hand hit Naruto square in the chest. Naruto fell backwards, blood spurting from his mouth.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi saw Naruto fall and then saw Kabuto move towards him. Naruto wasn't moving. Kakashi glared hoping that Naruto was alright. He decided it was time to make his move. He stepped into the room and caught Kabuto's attention.

"Your fight's with me now." Kakashi said. He settled into an easy taijutsu stance.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke stared at Naruto. His friend was lying on the ground in an unceremonious heap. He started to think to himself, hoping to find the solution to escape somewhere in his mind. His mind was so fuzzy that nothing made sense.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara, Aiko, Shin and Takahiro had made their way to the lower ground labs. They heard a fight going on and headed towards it. They saw Kakashi fighting Kabuto, Naruto lying in a crumpled heap and Sasuke sat on the floor looking dazed. Gaara glared slightly.

"Uchiha, use the escape jutsu." Gaara hissed. Sasuke looked up at him and nodded. Gaara watched him form the hand seals, sluggish as they were, and saw the chains drop to the ground.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke dragged his body over to Naruto. He checked his friend's pulse and sighed in relief. Naruto was still alive and breathing.

"Kakashi, you and Sasuke were our priority, we need to leave and get Naruto some help." Sasuke heard Gaara state to the Copy-nin. Kakashi nodded his understanding. Before Kakashi could make another move, Gaara used his sand to throw Kabuto into a wall, thus rendering him unconscious.

Sasuke felt very weary. He'd been fighting the effects of the drugs in his system for a while now and all he wanted to do was sleep. He saw Gaara use his sand to pick up Naruto and felt Kakashi pull him up onto his back. Sasuke finally allowed his brain to shut down, as Kakashi carried him out of the lab, and hopefully to freedom.

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Okay, chapter eight finally done and the rapist revealed. Hope you all liked it. Maybe the rapist was a bit obvious, but there ya go. I didn't even decide who it was going to be until I'd written the sixth chapter. My brother was asking me for ages out of morbid curiosity and when I said "I've decided it's going to be Kabuto." He looked at me and said "Wow what the f**k sis." LOL! Anyways, please R&R and I'll be updating soon hopefully.


	9. Reunions

Okay the ninth chapter is here. I hope ya all like it. Sorry I take so long to update but I promise I will always update eventually.

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Duty Over Hell.

Chapter Nine – Reunions.

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The group had escaped the base of Orochimaru and was now travelling as fast as humanly possible, with their casualties, back to the village. Sasuke and Naruto were both unconscious. Kakashi didn't like the look of Naruto. He was pale and his breathing was uneven. Gaara looked at him, as the ranking ninja.

"We need to go as fast as possible. If you can go faster with Naruto, then travel ahead and go to Sakura or Shizune. They're Tsunade-Sama's apprentices and they're the best medic-nins apart from her." Kakashi said quickly. Gaara nodded and started travelling ahead.

He looked at the other three teens travelling with them.

"Is Naruto going to be alright?" The blonde girl asked him quietly.

"As long as he gets to a healer in time he should be fine." Kakashi answered. The brunette girl smiled softly.

"I'm Shinigami. Everyone calls me Shin." The brunette said chirpily.

"I'm Aiko." The blonde girl added. Her tone was slightly cold.

"I'm Takahiro." The male said.

"You're ninja from Suna?" Kakashi asked.

"No. You could call us rogue ninja. We haven't got a ninja village." Aiko replied.

"So how is it you know Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"He bumped into me after he left his village. I never asked why he left, it's not my business. But our leader, Rekka, she decided to take him in so he wouldn't be alone. Naruto is a member of our little... family? I guess you could call it that." Shin replied.

"We're a group of kids, exiled from our villages, or having abandoned them. We all have our own reasons. People call us the Outcasts." Takahiro added. Kakashi nodded.

"So your leader told you to come with Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"No, we made that decision ourselves. Gaara and his team mates turned up, after Shin met them and found out who they were looking for, she bought them to Naruto and they told him what had happened. He said he had to go and look out for his village. Our leader said it was cool with her. We came ahead. She's coming later with the others." Takahiro replied.

Kakashi nodded.

"Well, at least Naruto found some friends on his travels." Kakashi stated. He wondered exactly who these outcasts were. But he kept the thoughts to himself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara made it back to Konoha at top speed. He'd used some of his sand to propel him that extra bit more. When he arrived, he saw the state the hidden leaf village was in. He then saw the pink haired female, known as Sakura. He walked over to her quickly. She saw Naruto being carried by Gaara's sand, and gestured to him to put Naruto down.

"How did he get injured?" She asked. Her tone was all business.

"Kabuto used chakra scalpel and hit his chest." Gaara answered. Sakura nodded and used her own healing chakra on Naruto.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto felt himself being pulled out of the darkness of his mind, and as he blinked his eyes open he saw Sakura leaning over him, using her healing chakra on him and Gaara was sat to one side. He sat up very slowly, still feeling a little short of breath and knowing Sakura had been healing him. Sakura grinned widely.

"You're alright!" She exclaimed with relief. Naruto smiled back. That was when he saw Kakashi arrive with Sasuke on his back, and Shin, Aiko and Takahiro flanking his sides.

"Is Sasuke alright?" Naruto asked softly. Kakashi laid him down next to Naruto and Sakura was using her healing chakra again.

"He should be fine." Sakura stated after a few moments.

"The drugs that have been used on him need to work their way out of his system. After that he'll be raring to go." Sakura added. Naruto nodded happily. His grin was one of relief.

"KAKASHI?" Someone yelled out. The group stared at Jiraiya. He glared in annoyance.

"What the hell happened? The two Genin are injured and you're fine?" Jiraiya asked. Kakashi just grinned, and shrugged. Jiraiya looked at Naruto.

"How are you doing kid?" Jiraiya asked.

"I'm alright Ero-Sennin! I think... I need to go... and see Baa-Chan." Naruto replied. Jiraiya nodded and gestured to him to follow.

Kakashi picked up Sasuke and the group followed after Jiraiya. Sakura kept glancing over at Naruto as if making sure he was still there. She stayed behind Naruto and in front of Sasuke at all times. Kakashi gazed at his female student's actions with understanding. He knew she had been troubled by Naruto's disappearance. In fact he knew both Sasuke and Sakura had been devastated by the loss of their teammate. Kakashi was sure that this was the reason Sasuke had not reacted to the poisonous effect of the curse seal. He wasn't completely consumed by hate, so he couldn't react to the curse seal as Orochimaru had expected him too. In fact Kakashi heard of a team known as the sound four, sneaking in to try and goad Sasuke into leaving with them for the Sound village. It had failed. Sasuke had been completely uninterested in them. At the time he had been annoyed because he had been trying to get the Hokage to mount an early search for Naruto, and it hadn't worked, so he had completely ignored the group and lead them towards Anbu. Kakashi had been surprised that the angsty teen hadn't tried to take them on by himself. But Sasuke had changed a bit with the disappearance of Naruto. He wasn't so focused on revenge as he once was. The loss of someone else he had considered close to him made him think about the consequences of every action.

Sakura had also changed. She no longer fawned over Sasuke as she used to. A year had done a great deal to mature her. Once Sakura stopped fawning, Sasuke was able to become friendlier towards her. They trained together everyday under Kakashi's supervision, and both hoped to see Naruto again.

They reached the hospital quickly and Jiraiya gestured to Naruto to carry on following.

"Just get Sasuke a room or something. I think it might be better if Naruto gets to see Tsunade alone." Jiraiya said softly. The others nodded. Naruto watched as Sakura lead Kakashi, still carrying Sasuke, down a corridor. Gaara, Aiko, Shin and Takahiro followed. Aiko gave Naruto a reassuring smile as she left last. Naruto felt something was different in the village. When he finally reached Tsunade's room with Jiraiya, he looked on as Jiraiya slid the screen door open, and stepped in. Naruto swallowed and followed him in. His eyes bugged at the sight before him. Tsunade, hooked up to all sorts of wires, that led to various machines. Naruto bit his lip so hard that it bled. He felt a large, strong, hand on his shoulder and looked up at Jiraiya.

"Most of the medics think that she won't be able to heal. I think they're wrong kid. You gave her hope. Maybe hearing your voice will encourage her." Jiraiya said calmly.

Naruto went and sat next to Tsunade's bedside. She looked frail and her skin was practically the colour of snow. Naruto had never seen Tsunade look so unbelievably vulnerable in all the time he had known her.

"I'm going to go and find out everything that happened from Kakashi and Sasuke. I'll be back. Okay Naruto?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto nodded slowly. Jiraiya left the room, sliding the screen closed behind him. Naruto sat there looking at Tsunade for the longest time. Not really knowing what to say. He held her hand in both of his, thinking about the best thing to do in this situation. He finally decided that he should try speaking to her. As Jiraiya had said, it might actually help.

"Baa-Chan? I don't know if you can hear me or not. I hope you can. I know it's been ages. I should have written a letter or something but I'm not great with words." Naruto said softly.

"I missed you when I was gone. I really did. When Gaara, Temari and Kankuro came and found me, and told me what happened, I had to come and see you. I never had parents or grandparents. But you're the best grandma I could ever have. You always treated me like family. You were never cruel to me. I dunno if you understood why I had to leave, but you still let me go and that means a lot to me. I learned a lot while I was gone. I still need to learn more though Baa-Chan! Who's gonna teach me how to be a great Hokage if you die on me now? Who's gonna give me a fair chance if you're not here?" Naruto added. He hoped Tsunade could hear him. He hoped more than anything else she could hear him.

"I need you Baa-Chan. It sounds stupid, I know, seeing as I'm the one that left. But I really do need you. If I knew how to make you better, I'd do it. But I don't know how. I guess I can just hope that you can hear me and that I can give you some strength..." Naruto trailed off and wondered what else he could say. He bit his lip and stood up slowly. He bent down to kiss Tsunade on the forehead.

"I love you Baa-Chan. Please get better. I know I sound like a stupid sap. But..." Naruto wasn't sure what else to say. He made to let go of Tsunade's hand, but the grip tightened. Naruto's eyes went wide as he looked down into Tsunade's own honey coloured eyes.

"Baa-Chan?" Naruto asked softly. Tsunade gave a weak grin.

"Don't think you're a sap Gaki. Showing you care about others is important you know. Not just for being a Hokage, but for being a human being." Tsunade said softly. Naruto felt his eyes well up. He leaned down and hugged Tsunade instinctively. She hugged him back weakly.

"I always understood why you left Naruto. I knew you were going to come back. That's the reason I didn't let Sasuke and Sakura run off looking for you." Tsunade said softly. Naruto grinned happily.

"I'm back to stay Tsunade Baa-Chan." Naruto said happily.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke had been placed in a bed and Sakura was keeping an eye on him, when Jiraiya came in and asked for the details. Kakashi bit his lip under the mask he wore.

"Sakura, leave the room for a few minutes. Go and check on Naruto's friends, and Gaara." Kakashi said softly. Sakura nodded and left the room quickly. She glanced back at Sasuke and Kakashi before she closed the door. Jiraiya looked at Kakashi seriously.

"They wanted to uncover the secrets of the Sharingan. I have no idea the kinds of tests that Sasuke was put through. I only know that on the way back to the village after that mission, we were ambushed by the Sound four, and knocked unconscious. We fought for a while but we were overwhelmed. When I awoke, I was in an underground laboratory and Kabuto was performing the tests. He cut samples from my skin and took blood. He kept me pretty well drugged and tied to the lab table. In the time we were there I didn't have a single lucid moment until Naruto came to free me." Kakashi said quietly. He then explained their escape.

"You'll have to ask Sasuke about what happened to him when he wakes up." Kakashi added. Jiraiya nodded.

At that moment, Sakura ran back into the room excitedly.

"I'm sorry to disturb you both. But Tsunade-Shishou is awake!" Sakura exclaimed happily. Jiraiya looked at Sakura carefully.

"How are her stats?" Jiraiya asked softly.

"All good, she seems to be improving at a steady pace." Sakura said cheerfully. Jiraiya grinned.

"_I knew Naruto would be able to do something."_ He thought to himself as he followed Sakura out of the room. Kakashi also followed, closing the screen door behind him.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that evening, Sasuke woke up. He looked to see Naruto resting in the chair next to his bed.

"Hey Dobe! What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked. Naruto stirred and looked at Sasuke.

"I wanted to make sure you were alright Teme, but it seems you're back to your old self." Naruto replied. Sasuke's expression turned serious.

"Why did you leave Naruto? We all missed you. Sakura and I didn't feel the same after you left. Neither did Kakashi. What made you leave?" Sasuke asked.

"You know what happened to me. Soon, everyone in the village knew. People laughed about it Sasuke. People thought it was something I deserved. I couldn't sit around and watch that. I felt like I was disgusting, like I wouldn't ever be clean again. I was scared of how everyone would think of me. If you're honest Sasuke, what did you think when you knew what happened to me?" Naruto asked sadly.

"I thought that what happened to you was horrible. I couldn't know how that must've felt. I can't even _imagine_ it. When Kabuto tried to do that to me, I... I freaked out, so I don't know how you must _still_ feel. But at the time... all I felt was that my best friend needed me. I was worried about you Naruto. I was... _really_ worried. Kiba and I never left the hospital until Tsunade told us you were in the clear. The only time I left was when Sakura got there, and I went home to change. I wanted to know who did that to you. I wanted to make them pay, because after what happened to you, I know you, Sakura and Kakashi are family. I... may have lost one family but I have another family now. I wanted... I wanted to help in any way I could." Sasuke replied.

Naruto blinked back tears.

"Did you mean it when you said I was your best friend? That I was part of your family?" Naruto asked. He felt himself choke up on unreleased sobs. Sasuke nodded.

"When you left, we wanted to go and find you. Me and Sakura. We even grabbed our packs and went to leave the village a couple of times. Tsunade stopped us. She said that you promised you'd be back, and that we had to trust you. We did, but that didn't stop us worrying about you Dobe! It didn't stop us wanting you back. We're a three man cell for a reason... right?" Sasuke said with a smirk.

"You're being very un-teme like today?" Naruto questioned. Sasuke smirked.

"It's a special occasion. Besides, I learned a lot. I changed. Kakashi called it maturing. You've changed too. Got stronger right?" Sasuke asked. Naruto grinned and nodded.

"When I get out of here, we're gonna have to spar." Sasuke said. A smile formed on his face. The two knocked fists and started catching up everything that had been happening in their lives since they had last seen each other.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay everyone. End of chapter nine. Hope you all liked it. I know Sasuke was out of character, but most people change slightly as they get older, and talk more to the people they care about. Anywho's, I hope everyone liked it. I'll try to update soon.


	10. New Citizens Of Konoha

Okay everyone. It's been ages since I updated this. Stupidly I had writers block for this fic, but I ended up with loads of other fics, rather randomly. Anywho I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Duty Over Hell.

Chapter Ten - New Citizens of Konoha.

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Naruto found himself helping out within the village, clearing away rubble, helping to rebuild things that had been destroyed by the attack from Otogakure, and visiting people he knew at the hospital. He went to see Tsunade every day. She was making steady progress. The council had tried to get her to relinquish her position as Hokage, but Tsunade had of course refused. Another person that Naruto visited on a regular basis was Iruka. On that score, the news was not pretty. Iruka had suffered massive injuries during the attack. He was still in a coma, and people were talking about brain damage. Naruto prayed that wasn't the case. At this moment, Naruto was sat by Iruka's bedside. He was chatting away about his day and hoping some of his words would make it through to only man that had come close to being a father figure to him. That was when Sakura came into the room.

Of the group of friend's he'd left behind, he'd managed to speak to all but two. Hinata and Sakura. Both females had been training in the medical corp. Tsunade had told Naruto she'd been training Hinata secretly, as she knew her father wouldn't approve of her want to heal others. Naruto couldn't help but smile at that when he'd heard, silently cheering Hinata on in his mind. Sakura stared at Naruto for a few moments.

"I was just coming to check on Iruka-Sensei. How are you doing Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"I'm alright Sakura-Chan. I've been talking to him. I guess I'm hoping it'll help, like when I talked to Tsunade Baa-Chan. I don't know if it will though." Naruto said softly. Sakura smiled at him fondly.

"I think it will eventually. Everyone gave up on Tsunade-Shishou, but she got better when you came back Naruto. I don't know how, but you give everyone hope. Including me." Sakura stated. Naruto grinned.

"Thanks Sakura-Chan." Naruto said quietly.

"Look, let's go and get something to eat Naruto. I know you haven't eaten all day. Your friends told me." Sakura said softly. Naruto nodded and stood up.

"I'll be back Iruka-Sensei." Naruto said softly to the male on the bed. He left the room with Sakura.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Orochimaru was seething in his lair. Kabuto was with him.

"Kabuto, did you see Shinigami?" Orochimaru asked, _almost_ wistfully, if it were possible for the snake Sannin.

"Yes Lord Orochimaru. I saw her." Kabuto replied.

"She seems to be quite friendly with Naruto-Kun doesn't she? Sasuke-Kun is the same. All drawn to him like moths to a flame." Orochimaru said softly.

"He seems to attract people. Like Sabaku No Gaara." Kabuto replied.

"Well there isn't much we can do about it at the moment. Except to take back what is mine." Orochimaru stated.

"Understood Orochimaru-Sama." Kabuto replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto and Sakura were walking along the streets quietly. Sakura stared at Naruto incredulously.

"You've changed Naruto. You got rid of all the orange." Sakura said softly.

"Everyone changes Sakura-Chan. But I'm not as different as you think." Naruto said.

"Oh you're still the Naruto I know alright. You always try to make everyone else feel better even when I know you're sad." Sakura replied. Naruto blinked at her.

"Like after you left the hospital. Before you even left the village, you were pretending that you were alright. I wish you hadn't." Sakura stated.

"What you wish I'd been miserable Sakura-Chan?" Naruto replied. Sakura laughed.

"No. I wish you'd come and talked to us instead of leaving. We missed you." Sakura said. She hugged the blond tightly then, stopping them both in the middle of the street.

Naruto hugged her back.

"I just felt that I had to go for a little while Sakura-Chan. It wasn't that I didn't trust you guys. I missed you guys like crazy." Naruto said softly, as he felt a couple of tears drop from Sakura's eyes on to his shirt. She stood back and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She gave Naruto a half-hearted smile.

"I'm sorry for getting all sappy on you. But I did miss you a lot." Sakura stated.

"Hey don't think I didn't miss you Sakura-Chan. I especially missed going on missions with you, Sasuke-Teme and Kakashi-Sensei. But I did learn a lot." Naruto exclaimed wildly. The pair carried on walking not noticing they were being watched.

Hinata was watching from afar as she always had.

"_Maybe I'll get the courage to just go up to him and talk one day."_ Hinata thought to herself. She felt a hand on her shoulder suddenly and it made her jump. She turned to see a girl with honey blond hair. Hinata had seen her around and people had called her a friend of Naruto's.

"Hey there. I'm Aiko. Why are you staring after Naruto?" Aiko asked kindly. Hinata blushed beet red and started twiddling her fingers.

"Ah, you like him. Well, it's best to be direct with Naruto. As much as I love the kid, like a brother, he can be extremely dense. If you want to speak to him, then just do it. I'm sure he'd be happy to speak to you." Aiko said. Hinata was still twiddling her fingers. Although her blush had gone down a bit.

"So what's your name kid?" Aiko asked.

"I-I'm H-hi-Hinata." Hinata stuttered out.

"Oh. Naruto told me about you. You're very quiet and shy, and always faint around him." Aiko stated, as though recalling from memory. Then she giggled.

"Come on, let's go to the hospital and see if we're needed there, because I'm sure Naruto will come to the hospital before he even thinks of sleeping." Aiko stated. Hinata nodded and followed after Aiko.

"_She's blunt but she's still nice."_ Hinata thought to herself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto and Sakura were in Ichiraku's eating lunch, when Sasuke came in. He smirked at Naruto and Naruto grinned back.

"Where've you been Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"_Wow things definitely changed while I was gone. Sakura-Chan doesn't call Sasuke 'Sasuke-Kun' anymore."_ Naruto thought to himself.

"I was helping out rebuilding at the Academy. Iruka-Sensei's classroom was hit the worst." Sasuke said sadly. Naruto bit his lip.

"How did he get injured? No one told me what happened Sasuke." Naruto asked.

"Well, the attack came without warning Naruto. The academy was one of the first places to be attacked. A lot of kids got hurt. If it wasn't for Iruka-Sensei, there would have been a lot more casualties and more than a few fatalities. Thanks to him, not one student got killed." Sasuke explained.

"He got into a fight with some strong sound ninja. He made his assistant get the students out of the classroom, and to send a warning to other teachers, to evacuate the school. He got injured, the classroom practically fell down around him, but no students were killed because he thought quickly." Sasuke added. Naruto nodded.

"That sounds just like Iruka-Sensei." Naruto replied.

The three sat and ate lunch in silence. When it was time to pay Sasuke took out his wallet.

"I'm richer than both of you so don't bother complaining Sakura." Sasuke stated. Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

"You guys sure did change." Naruto stated.

"So did you Dobe." Sasuke quipped.

"So where are we going now?" Naruto asked.

"The hospital needs some help. There's more injured then there is building to cope. We need to repair some of the place so there's more room to put the injured." Sasuke stated.

"Well, we were heading back to the hospital after we ate anyway." Naruto stated.

"Going to see Iruka-Sensei and Tsunade-Sama?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded.

"If we work hard and I use my shadow clones we should get done quickly." Naruto replied. Sasuke nodded.

"What do you two think I am? Chopped liver?" Sakura questioned.

"Nope, you're a medic-nin Sakura. Even if you're in training. You're meant to be helping with the injured." Sasuke stated. "So's Hinata and Ino. Wherever the hell they are. They just disappeared on me." Sakura huffed. Naruto and Sasuke laughed loudly.

"So is there room for more people to crash this little party?" The tree turned to see a flame-haired female, who couldn't be much older than them. Naruto grinned widely.

"Rekka-Chan!" Naruto yelled, throwing himself at the female to hug her.

"I did say we were on our way." Rekka replied.

"Yeah I know. I just didn't think it would be so soon." Naruto replied happily.

"Are Shin and Takahiro behaving themselves?" Rekka asked.

At that moment a loud yelling came from outside.

"HEY YOU LAZY BUM! HELP US OUT AND STOP BEING SUCH A LAYABOUT!" Naruto and Rekka looked completely unfazed by the loud yelling, while Sasuke and Sakura blinked in confusion.

"That sounds like Shin." Rekka stated.

"It is Shin. Her and Takahiro have been tearing chunks out of each other for the last week. I dunno what's going on with them at all." Naruto replied.

"I'll find out. In the meantime, go and be helpful to your friends. Also, is there anywhere for Cho, Ryuu and Ryo to go with Tai? They're obviously not going to be lifting bricks." Rekka asked. Naruto nodded.

"All the academy students are helping out, but all the younger kids, or non-students are staying in the Hokage tower with some of the female villagers." Naruto replied.

"I'll take you there if you like." Sakura said kindly.

"Okay then. But first we need to see whoever is in charge at the moment. We don't want to cause trouble." Rekka stated. That was when they all felt another presence enter Ichiraku's.

"Well that would be me." Jiraiya stated. Rekka nodded, and introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you kid. If you're friends of Naruto's then you can be trusted here. As for somewhere to stay, I have no idea where to send you. This place is a mess." Jiraiya stated after Rekka had finished her introductions.

"They can stay at the Uchiha compound. Naruto and Sakura are staying with me at the moment, and so are Naruto's three friends that came with him. As well as Gaara, Temari and Kankuro." Sasuke offered.

"Are you sure you've got the room kid? I don't want to take up your space." Rekka asked.

"No we've got enough room. The Uchiha compound is definitely big enough." Sasuke stated. Rekka nodded.

"Okay we have a lot to do so let's get going." Rekka stated.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Akatsuki were having a meeting.

"Konoha is weak now. We should strike and finish them off." Kisame hissed.

"All in good time Kisame. What we need to do at the moment is find out if the Jinchuriki is there or not." Pein stated.

"We need a spy to go in and look around. Itachi?" Pein asked. Itachi looked at Pein blankly.

"I've decided it would be best to send you. If you notice the Jinchuriki, then send a message to us, and we can come and claim him. If not, then come back to base and we'll plan our next move then." Pein stated. Itachi nodded.

"I understand perfectly Leader-Sama." Itachi stated. He stood up and left the room.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Aiko was helping to move some of the rubble at the hospital and to rebuild when she felt someone watching her. She looked behind her, but didn't see anything. It was starting to get to her.

"_I've been feeling like this all day. Someone is following me. I know it. My instincts are not wrong."_ Aiko thought to herself as she tried to get on with what she was doing.

From the shadows, Kimmimaru watched Aiko, trying to figure out where he'd seen her before. But he wouldn't reveal himself. Not just yet. It wasn't the time now. But the right time would come soon, and Kimmimaru knew it. He also knew that Orochimaru was very likely to attack again. Before that happened, Kimmimaru wanted to solve the mystery behind this honey-blond girl. That was a definite.

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Okay all. I know this may be a short chappie, but I'll be updating soon. Besides who wants the fic to be over with too quickly. LOL! Anyways please R&R and let me know what you think alright. Bye for now people.


	11. Revelations

Okay chapter eleven of Duty Over Hell. I know I'm always making you guys wait, but you know when you know what you want to write but it isn't coming out right? That's the story of my life at the moment. LOL! Anywho, Here's the next chappie I hope you all enjoy it.

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Duty Over Hell

Chapter Eleven – Revelations.

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Later that week, Sasuke and Sakura had gotten to know Naruto's new friends. Sasuke felt curiosity overwhelm him, as he watched Naruto feeding a one year old child.

"Hey Dobe what's the deal with the kid?" Sasuke asked. Naruto looked at Sasuke carefully.

"Well Tai is Rekka's son. He's fussy about who feeds him. Seeing as the squirt seems to like me I got given feeding duty this morning." Naruto stated. Tai reached out for the bowl of food. Naruto gave Tai a piece of apple to munch on, and the boy ate happily. Sasuke once again gave Tai a curious look.

"He looks like the pictures of me and Itachi when we were small." Sasuke said softly. Then he left the room, never noticing that Rekka had been listening to the whole conversation.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade was up and about, helping to clear rubble like the rest of the village. She saw two of Naruto's friends working together. One of them, she had been informed, was Orochimaru's daughter. She went up to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl spun around and gave Tsunade a curious stare.

"You're Shin right?" Tsunade asked. Shin nodded.

"Can we have a talk?" Tsunade asked.

"I suppose so." Shin replied. The boy looked over at her.

"I'll be back in a minute Takahiro." Shin said. Takahiro shrugged and carried on with what he'd been doing before. Shin and Tsunade walked off to find somewhere to talk.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Aiko could feel that presence watching her again. This time she pretended that she didn't notice. Slowly she inched closer to where she could feel this presence. Then she pounced, pulling aside the greenery to see... nothing? Then she looked upwards and noted something or someone taking off. Aiko went after them, wanting to know exactly what this person wanted with her.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade sat with Shin in her wrecked office.

"I was told that Orochimaru is your father." Tsunade said gently.

"I didn't choose him as my father you know." Shin hissed.

"I didn't say that. I just wanted to know how you came to be here." Tsunade replied. Shin bit her lip and looked at Tsunade.

"I escaped one of his labs when I was nine. Rekka took me in. She's the only real family I've ever had. Orochimaru isn't a father. He's more of a creator. I was made out of three or four different DNA strands. I don't know whose, except that he used his own DNA as one part of my make-up." Shin said softly.

"Is that why your eyes turn different colours?" Tsunade asked.

"I dunno. All I know is that Rekka is like my big sister. I may not be related to her by blood but she's still family. I wouldn't betray her. I also wouldn't betray Naruto, or any of the others. When I was alone, Rekka took me in. When I needed people to care about me, the outcasts were there. If they chose to set up home here I'd stay here." Shin said.

"And if not?" Tsunade asked.

"Then I'd go where they go." Shin replied. Tsunade decided not to ask the girl any more questions.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Aiko soon caught up with her stalker. It shocked her when she discovered that it was Kimmimaru. He looked at her with recognition.

"I knew you once." He said gently.

"How?" Aiko asked.

"I wasn't sure until when you were looking for me. It's exactly how you used to play with me when we were small. Before I was locked away in a cage." Kimimaru replied. Aiko felt something slip into her memories.

"You're my brother?" Aiko asked.

"I think so." Kimmimaru replied. The pair looked at each other, sizing each other up, both trying to understand a new discovery.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that day, Rekka sat with Tai in her lap. The young boy was playing with a wooden horse. Rekka set him down on the ground to play when she heard someone walking towards her. She looked at Sasuke.

"Naruto said you had a run-in with Akatsuki." Sasuke commented. Rekka nodded.

"Yes I did. It wasn't a pleasant experience." Rekka replied.

"Did you see my brother?" Sasuke asked.

"It depends on who you brother is?" Rekka questioned.

"He had black hair. Tied into a ponytail. I was told that we looked alike when I was a child." Sasuke replied. Rekka bit her lip hard.

"Yes I saw him. As I said, none of my time as their prisoner was a pleasant experience." Rekka replied coldly.

"Your son looks a lot like how my brother and I used to look as small children." Sasuke said. Rekka understood where this teenager was going with his conversation.

"You want to know who the father of my son is," Rekka commented.

"I want to know if it was Itachi." Sasuke replied.

"And if it was? What would you do kid? What difference would it all make?" Rekka replied.

"Because I'd know I wasn't the last Uchiha left. I'd know that there was another Uchiha that will grow up the right way." Sasuke replied. Rekka gave the boy a soft smile.

"Yes Itachi is my child's father. But he will never know that. At least I hope he won't." Rekka replied.

"Naruto said he was able to talk to you easily. That you and he had a lot in common? Is Itachi the reason why?" Sasuke asked.

"You're a clever kid." Rekka replied.

"I'm truly sorry for the crimes my brother committed against you." Sasuke said softly.

"It's not your responsibility to be sorry Sasuke." Rekka replied. Sasuke shrugged.

"Do you mind if I spend time with him?" Sasuke asked. Rekka smiled.

"Well if he's your nephew he'll be able to learn things from you." Rekka stated. Sasuke gave a smile then, and picked up Tai.

"You here that Tai? I'm gonna teach you things." Sasuke told the small child. Tai just hugged Sasuke cutely and started drifting off on his shoulder.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi watched from the shadows.

"_Well... this isn't something I expected."_ Itachi thought to himself as he stared at the child in Sasuke's arms. He looked at Rekka, feeling a strange emotion creep up on him. He wasn't sure what it was, but decided to keep watching. At least for a little while.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Orochimaru was with Kabuto looking through a file.

"The girl? Your daughter? She has more than one strand of DNA in her biological make-up Orochimaru-Sama." Kabuto said firmly.

"Yes she does. I created her from the DNA Structure of four people. One of those people being myself." Orochimaru stated.

"Who were the other three?" Kabuto asked curiously.

"Well... when I first left my old village, I was still creating her. I took the DNA I had to hand before I left. The DNA of my old Sensei and team mates." Orochimaru replied.

"So the girl is a part of the Third Hokage, Jiraiya and Tsunade, as well as yourself?" Kabuto asked.

"Yes. She's what our team would have been had we all be combined into one person. Interestingly enough, my team overrule my DNA. She seems to have a severe sense of loyalty." Orochimaru stated irritably.

"Yet you want her back in your possession?" Kabuto questioned.

"She'll make a good tool. She'll bring Naruto Uzumaki here. Then the others will follow him. That means our little experiments on the Sharingan users can continue." Orochimaru replied. Kabuto smirked evilly as he carried on looking through Shin's file.

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Okay all, I hope you all liked this chappie. I know I keep you guys waiting for ages, just to give you crap chapters and leave you hanging. But thanks to all of you that have been hanging on with me here. Please R&R and tell me what you think. I'll update as soon as I can.


	12. To Make Amends

Okay all, here is chapter twelve of Duty Over Hell. Now for a surprise twist, (or not) which I hope you all enjoy. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and to all those lovely people who added me to their faves and alert lists. I really appreciate it.

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Duty Over Hell.

Chapter Twelve – To Make Amends.

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Naruto was sat next to Iruka's bedside a week later. The Academy Teacher had yet to wake from his coma. Naruto was telling Iruka about how the repairs to the village, and especially the academy, were going. He wanted to hope his words were reaching Iruka. That was when the Chunin opened his eyes and looked at Naruto.

"When did you get back?" He asked croakily. Naruto couldn't help beaming and hugging Iruka tightly. After all, who had more enthusiasm then Naruto?

"All I care about is that you're okay Iruka-Sensei." Naruto replied. Iruka gave the boy a weak grin.

"We were worried about you Naruto. Don't go running off again. Or at least tell me before you do." Iruka said kindly. Naruto nodded.

"I heard you saved most of the academy students all by yourself." Naruto quipped. Iruka shook his head.

"I was doing my duty Naruto." Iruka stated. Naruto just beamed at his father figure, glad that he was alright, or at least he was awake for now.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That evening, Naruto was getting everyone to celebrate. As far as he was concerned, Iruka was awake and that was all that mattered to him. Sasuke and Sakura just blinked and watched as Naruto dragged Aiko to dance around the room. Shin just looked on with curious eyes and Rekka was bouncing Tai in her arms. That was until Naruto ran over and plucked the little boy from Rekka and started dancing around the room with him. Tai giggled wildly as Naruto spun the little infant around the room. Rekka felt a presence watching them and as she knew Tai was safe with Naruto, she left the house to search out the spy. After all it wasn't a chakra that she recognised.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiraiya was in Tsunade's office.

"So it's true. Orochimaru's on the move towards us again?" Tsunade asked Jiraiya. Jiraiya nodded.

"He's making no secret of his movement. It's almost like he wants us to know he's heading for us." Jiraiya replied.

"He probably wants to scare us." Tsunade quipped.

"We both know that he doesn't usually work that way." Jiraiya shot back softly.

"His daughter wasn't living in Konoha before." Tsunade replied. Jiraiya nodded.

"She must be his motivation at the moment." Jiraiya stated.

"Should we tell her?" Tsunade questioned. Jiraiya didn't reply. He stayed silent because he had no answer for that question.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Rekka soon found out the spy. He wasn't even trying to hide himself from her. She glared at Itachi Uchiha with pure hatred.

"What do you want here?" She hissed angrily.

"Actually I was curious about you." Itachi replied.

"Don't you know enough about me already?" Rekka spat out. She was willing to die this moment if it meant killing the man who had bought her so much pain and haunted nightmares. Itachi stared at her impassively.

"Well considering you say I fathered your child, and I'm quite sure I'd never seen your face until a few days ago, I obviously don't know enough." Itachi quipped. Rekka glared hatefully.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rekka growled out.

"It means, that I never saw you. If someone was visiting your cell, while you were a prisoner of Akatsuki, then it wasn't me. In fact it wasn't even me who bought you to our base. I'd heard that we had a female prisoner but I had no particular interest in you at all." Itachi stated seriously. Rekka felt confusion fill her being. Although what Itachi was saying made sense. Although his face was the same, his chakra and aura were completely different to Rekka. It was confusing.

"Then who was it?" Rekka asked. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were filled with confusion.

"Well I wouldn't know unless you can tell me when you were captured." Itachi answered. Rekka looked at Itachi carefully. His eyes showed emotions that didn't border on hatred or disgust. In fact he seemed sincerely genuine. That wasn't something that Rekka had been used to from the man who'd visited her cell. Rekka told Itachi the details of where she'd been and when, when she'd been captured by Kisame and who she had assumed to be him.

Itachi seemed to be deep in thought.

"That particular mission, where you say you were captured, Madara Uchiha was on the mission with Kisame. He must have used a Henge to look like me. After all he didn't want people knowing he was alive." Itachi told Rekka. Rekka's eyes went wide. She looked at Itachi, not knowing what to say. Then something occurred to her.

"If it was Madara Uchiha who raped me, using your face, then who really murdered your whole family?" Rekka asked. Itachi's eyes went wide.

"I've heard plenty of stories about Itachi Uchiha, who murdered his entire clan in one night, leaving his younger brother as the sole survivor. But you're not that kind of person. You weren't the one to do it were you? For you to come here and risk your freedom and life to set the record straight with me, you couldn't have been capable of killing your own family if you wanted to make things right with a total stranger." Rekka stated seriously.

Itachi sighed.

"Sasuke believes I killed the clan for power. Madara Uchiha hated the clan with a passion. I let Sasuke believe that it was me who killed them so that he could know some sort of reason. I never wanted to tell him that the foe he would need to fight is unbeatable." Itachi replied.

"So you expect me to lie to your brother." Rekka quipped.

"No. I don't. I wanted Sasuke to be safe. I may be a genius but I was just a child myself when I made the decisions I made. I think I will go and speak to the Hokage. There are things that she needs to know at the moment. But I'll speak to Sasuke soon." Itachi replied. Rekka nodded her understanding. Somehow, something had changed. She didn't feel the hatred she felt towards Itachi's face. A lot of things felt different to her. As she walked back towards the house, she only had one thought in mind. Would this Madara Uchiha come to take her child, if he found out about Tai? She could only pray that he didn't find out.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT DAY xXxXxXx

Aiko was sat in the forest with Kimmimaru.

"What happened that night Kimmimaru?" She asked softly.

"What do you remember?" He questioned back.

"I remember there was a fight. I remember everyone joined in. I was afraid. I ran away. When I came back everything and everyone was gone." Aiko replied.

"There was a battle. Our clan, the Kaguya clan, was a vicious clan. They always wanted to fight. They were frightened of me, so I was locked in a cage until they wanted me to fight." Kimmimaru said softly.

"So with your abilities, Orochimaru picked you up to be his henchman." Aiko quipped.

"No." Kimmimaru stated.

"What do you mean?" Aiko asked.

"He wanted me as his next vessel. That's what he wanted Sasuke for too. He takes on a new body every three years so that he can live forever." Kimmimaru replied. Aiko felt her stomach clench as she asked her next question.

"Then why are you still here Kimmimaru?" Aiko asked.

"Because I'm dying Aiko." Kimmimaru replied. Aiko's world froze at that moment.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade saw Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura helping to rebuild as she looked out of her window. In every direction she could see people trying to help with the effort to make Konoha safe again.

"So Itachi Uchiha turned himself in to you last night?" Jiraiya commented seriously. Tsunade nodded.

"He told me what happened to his clan. Ibiki is interrogating him right now just to make sure. Inoichi Yamanaka is helping. Apparently it's going pretty smoothly. Itachi isn't fighting the interrogation." Tsunade stated. Jiraiya looked down at the unsuspecting Sasuke.

"Should he be told that his brother is here?" Jiraiya asked.

"No. Not until we've determined the truth. I'm not going to get that boy's hopes up only to destroy them again. I'm not going to tell him that his brother is actually innocent when he could still be guilty." Tsunade said softly. Jiraiya nodded.

"Orochimaru is getting closer to our borders." Jiraiya quipped. Tsunade nodded.

"I know. We need to be prepared for him when he gets here." Tsunade replied.

"But will we be ready? We still have too many Shinobi in the hospital, our strengths have been cut in number." Jiraiya quipped. Tsunade nodded.

"I know Jiraiya. But we can't afford to let Orochimaru destroy our village anymore then he already has done. We're going to have to tell the Shinobi to prepare soon. We can't put it off any longer." Tsunade said. Jiraiya nodded.

"You're going to hold a meeting with the council right?" Jiraiya asked. Tsunade nodded.

"We have to do everything we can now. It's just a matter of time before he gets here and makes his demands. Unless we want to give in to him then we have to be ready to fight." Tsunade replied. Two of the legendary Sannin looked out of the office window, wondering exactly when Orochimaru would get to them, ready for battle.

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Okay all. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know it's a little short but it's longer then the last one. LOL! Anywho, please R&R and let me know what you think. See you all next time I update.


	13. Truth & Lies

Okay all, here's the thirteenth chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to the people who read and reviewed and added me to their faves or author alerts. I really appreciate it.

Please vote on my poll, because at the moment, Team Cat-Kashi and Sasuke-Aniki are in the lead and I would prefer there not to be a tie. LOL! Anywho, I will let people know the results in my poll after I've posted the last chapter of Woah Baby! Which I will be finishing next time I update. After that I will place a new poll up, obviously not putting the winning fic in, and there will be another chance to vote. Of course I'll place the fics in order of when they're going to come out and such, but I'll be putting new ones in a poll. Okay? Well anywho... that was lengthy and I hope you all kept up with that. Thanks for your time. Now on with the next chappie.

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Duty Over Hell

Chapter Thirteen – Truth & Lies.

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It was later that day when Tsunade called Sasuke to her office. Sasuke came, with his own hesitation making him paranoid. When he entered the office he saw Itachi, and his Sharingan activated immediately.

"Calm down Sasuke." Tsunade called. Sasuke looked at the Blond Hokage, sat behind her desk.

"Why should I calm down?" Sasuke asked angrily.

"Itachi wasn't the murderer of your clan." Tsunade replied. Sasuke looked at Itachi angrily.

"Then why did you tell me you were Itachi?" Sasuke hissed.

"It was that, or watching you die. I'd rather you lived and loathed me, then die." Itachi replied softly. Sasuke wasn't sure what to say to his brother. He looked at Tsunade.

"He's already been interrogated, his mind looked through by some of our best intelligence officers. Ibiki headed up the interrogation. He's telling you the truth." Tsunade told the younger Uchiha. Sasuke wasn't sure what to say.

"There are other things we need to talk about brother." Sasuke said sternly. Itachi nodded his understanding.

"I need you to tell Naruto and Sakura to come and meet here in the missions room downstairs, at two this afternoon Sasuke. You bring Itachi with you. There is something that needs to be discussed with all of you as Shinobi." Tsunade added before Sasuke and Itachi left the room. Sasuke nodded his understanding.

Once the brothers had left the office, they both saw Rekka waiting outside.

"Uhm... Hi Rekka." Sasuke greeted gently. He didn't want to upset someone who'd treated him with kindness.

"It's alright Sasuke. Itachi and I have already spoken. Although I think he should be allowed to speak to you alone. Tsunade asked me to help round up the troops. Go and talk somewhere. If you can find anywhere private." Rekka consoled. Sasuke nodded and he and Itachi headed towards the Uchiha training grounds.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura and Naruto were sat having a break near the hospital. The hospital was nearly complete again, but Naruto could see that the rest of the village was in terrible disrepair.

"We're gonna need to get the walls up too. We're in the open without any cover without the city walls." Naruto told Sakura. Sakura nodded.

"I've got a bad feeling Naruto." Sakura shot back gently. Naruto nodded.

"So do I Sakura. For some reason, so do I."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

As the sun loomed high in the sky, Orochimaru and Kabuto were in a darkened tent.

"So Kimmimaru wasn't killed?" Orochimaru asked.

"No Orochimaru-Sama. It appears he left us for some reason. What reason that might be I don't know. How he managed to survive, I don't know either." Kabuto answered honestly. Orochimaru nodded.

"The boy was ill. Maybe his illness has spread to his mind. Either way, he isn't of much use anymore." Orochimaru commented.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Aiko once again met with Kimmimaru.

"I want to talk to you about something brother, and I want you to listen to what I have to say." Aiko said softly. Kimmimaru stayed silent and waited for Aiko to carry on speaking.

"In this village, the Hokage, Tsunade, is the best medic nin that the ninja world has ever known. If... if anyone can help you, at least a little, it will be her. I want you to come with me so that we can talk to her." Aiko continued. Kimmimaru took a deep breath.

"I'm dying anyway. Normally I would argue the point with you, but it's a bit pointless. If she can help me, or if she chooses to help me, then I can't really deny the offer, can I?" Kimmimaru told his sister. Aiko smiled as Kimmimaru stood up from the log he'd been sitting on and she lead him towards the Hokage tower.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke had listened to Itachi's explanation carefully. He knew that this explanation had already been heard and approved by the interrogation squad. He knew Itachi wasn't lying. But he wanted so many answers and he wasn't sure how to get them.

"Why leave me Itachi?" Sasuke asked.

"Because I wanted you to live." Itachi replied.

"I grew up planning to kill you. I grew up planning to get revenge for the clan." Sasuke said. Itachi nodded.

"I know that. I wanted you to make yourself strong. Madara is extremely strong and when he finally comes looking. Which he will, not just for us, but for Naruto, he will be a tough opponent. Tougher than any opponent you've ever faced." Itachi commented. Sasuke nodded.

"So we can actually be brothers again? Or are you planning on kidnapping Naruto and running back to Akatsuki. Because I'd have to tell you I won't agree to you running off and taking Naruto with you." Sasuke quipped sarcastically. Itachi let out a bark of a laugh at that, which had Sasuke laughing too. Neither brother had laughed in a long time.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Aiko came across Naruto. He looked at Aiko and Kimmimaru. Gaara was also with him, and at once took a defensive stance.

"Please don't." Aiko pleaded gently. Gaara looked at Kimmimaru. The teenager was not in good condition. He didn't need medical skills or a doujutsu to see that.

"Who is this guy, Aiko?" Naruto asked.

"He's... he's my brother." Aiko replied. Naruto and Gaara looked confused.

"We barely remembered each other. We were separated a long time ago, when our clan was wiped out." Kimmimaru said gently.

"Kimmimaru is dying Naruto. If... if we explain things, do you think that... do you think that Tsunade-Sama would help him? If she can?" Aiko asked Naruto. Naruto could feel Aiko's pain as rawly as if it were his own. He knew he'd hate to lose someone he loved. He also knew that if he had just found a relative and then lost them just as quickly that it would tear him to pieces.

"I'll come with you to talk to Tsunade Baa-Chan." Naruto said kindly. Aiko gave the blond a rare smile, and Naruto lead the way to Tsunade's office.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi and Sasuke arrived back at the Uchiha compound, to find Rekka was there, speaking to the others of their group.

"If there's a fight, we'll be helping. These people have welcomed us and we're not going to turn our backs." Rekka stated. She looked at those gathered around her.

"If, however, you do not wish to fight, I can't make you. But we all grew up together. I think I know that none of you are about to jump ship." Rekka added. The others all nodded in agreement.

"Where's Aiko?" Shin asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to try and find her and let her know what is going on." Rekka stated. Itachi and Sasuke couldn't help but respect these people. They were kids, just like Sasuke. They weren't bound to Konoha, but they were prepared to fight for it anyway.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade sighed as she looked over some documents. That was when there was a knock at the door.

"Enter." Tsunade called. That was when Gaara, Naruto, Aiko and an unfamiliar boy walked into the room.

"What would you all like?" Tsunade asked. The group looked at each other, and it was Naruto who spoke first.

"Baa-Chan, this is Kimmimaru. He used to be with Orochimaru. But Aiko is his sister, and he's dying. I don't know if you can help, or any of the other details, but..." Naruto trailed off.

"Please help him Hokage-Sama. I know that Kimmimaru used to be Orochimaru's henchman, but he took my brother after our whole family were destroyed. He wanted to use my brother as a vessel and as soon as my brother became sick he tossed him away like trash." Aiko pleaded. Naruto had never heard Aiko plead before.

Tsunade looked at Kimmimaru carefully.

"Do you want my help?" Tsunade asked the teen. Kimmimaru looked back at Tsunade just as carefully.

"I want to be able to spend more time with my sister. I don't want to help Orochimaru destroy this village. If I can be made well, the Kekkei Genkai of my clan runs thickly through my veins. Gaara will tell you the details of what I can do I'm sure." Kimmimaru told Tsunade firmly.

"What I want to know Kimmimaru is whether or not you wish to be loyal to any village." Tsunade commented.

"I will stay loyal to whomever my sister stays loyal too." Kimmimaru replied. Something in Kimmimaru's eyes made Tsunade believe him. However she would make conditions.

"I will do everything I can to help you. But I want you to cooperate fully with my interrogation squad, who will not only see if you are lying to us, but will extract any information about Orochimaru from your mind as well. If you are not lying to us however, I will do all that I can within my power to not only make your life longer, but to cure you, if it is possible." Tsunade told Kimmimaru sternly. Kimmimaru nodded.

"I accept your terms." Kimmimaru commented. Aiko let out a relieved sigh and Naruto just grinned. Tsunade sighed as she looked at Naruto and Aiko.

"While I admit your friend here to the hospital, I want one of you to find Shin and to send her to my office. If I'm not back, she is to wait for me. There is something very important that I need to discuss with her." Tsunade told Naruto, Gaara and Aiko.

"I'll go and talk to Shin, Baa-Chan. Let Aiko go with you and stay with Kimmimaru. He is her brother after all." Naruto said softly. Tsunade nodded her agreement, and the group left the office. Naruto headed towards the Uchiha compound.

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Shin, after hearing from Naruto, went to the Hokage tower. She didn't know why, but she felt drawn to Tsunade in a lot of ways. It was like Tsunade was closer to her then anyone, almost as though she was family, but not at the same time. Shin had been waiting in Tsunade's office for about half an hour, when Tsunade arrived with the white haired man that Shin knew as Jiraiya, or 'Ero-Sennin' as Naruto called him.

"We wanted to discuss something important with you Shin. The reason for this is because you have every right to know." Tsunade told Shin gently. Shin nodded as she waited for them to continue.

"Orochimaru has gathered up another army and is on his way here to Konoha. We believe that the reason he is doing this is because he intends to demand you be returned to him." Jiraiya told the teenage girl kindly. Shin felt her hands trembling, but hid them in her lap.

"Will you hand me over?" Shin asked.

"No. We have no intentions of handing you over to Orochimaru." Tsunade replied. Shin nodded. She felt she could trust them. However strange that might seem.

"We felt that you needed to know, just in case the worst should happen, and Oto break into Konoha. They may send people to hunt you down." Jiraiya stated firmly. Shin nodded her understanding.

"I want to help if I can." Shin said solemnly. Jiraiya and Tsunade nodded their understanding as the group sat in relative silence. All pondered what might happen when Orochimaru's army arrived.

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That afternoon, at two pm, many Shinobi had gathered in missions room. All the old rookies, the Jonins, in fact anyone who was fit for duty crammed into the missions room. It wasn't that many, but it was all they had. Tsunade looked at those gathered.

"As you all know, we were attacked by Oto not that long ago." Tsunade started the meeting. The others in the room all nodded and made other signs of acknowledgement.

"I must now inform you that Orochimaru is bringing another army here. What he wants, I don't know, but I do know that we can't just give him what he wants. If we do then he'll just come back making more demands." Tsunade continued.

"We're not ready for another fight Hokage-Sama!" One Shinobi called from the group.

"We will have to be ready. We have no choices now. We have about a week, maybe a little more, before Oto arrive at our gates. We can't just give up now, or those that we've already lost would have died in vain. We have no choice but to fight. So all of you be prepared. Train, build up the walls, we will be evacuating people to the shelters at least two days in advance of Orochimaru's arrival. We have to be prepared. We weren't last time, to our detriment, but this time we must be." Tsunade stated. The Shinobi of the room solemnly gave their agreement as they filed out and started to make their preparations. They knew Tsunade was right. Giving up was not an option, so fighting was their only choice. To fight they had to be prepared. There was nothing else anyone could say. Tsunade hoped that their preparations would be enough.

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Okay all, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	14. Orochimaru's Demands! Outcasts Outcry!

Okay, the next chapter of Duty Over Hell. I hope you all enjoy it. A sorta twist for you all to contemplate, or maybe not. LOL! There is also another poll on my profile now, because the old one has been closed. The order in which the fics on the first poll will come out, has been placed in my profile. So please feel free to vote on my new poll (which will basically be set out the same as the old poll)

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Duty Over Hell

Chapter Fourteen – Orochimaru's Demands! Outcry Within The Outcasts!

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The Shinobi had become as prepared as they could be. No one had the luxury of sitting still. Not a week later, Orochimaru was at the gates of Konoha. Tsunade stood at the top of the gates, looking down on Orochimaru with anger in her eyes. Everyone had their posts. Orochimaru had Kabuto at his side. Sasuke had given his report of what had happened, and had told Tsunade that Kabuto had admitted to what he'd done to Naruto. Tsunade would've killed him then and there, but she knew the only chance the village had was if Orochimaru didn't attack right now.

"What do you want Orochimaru? I know better than to assume that you're coming to surrender." Tsunade stated. Orochimaru smirked up at his old teammate.

"I want my daughter, Tsunade. She's within your walls and I want her given back to me. If you do not return her I will make sure that Konoha is a blot on the earth." Orochimaru said slimily.

"Not a chance. I'm not giving you an innocent girl to destroy." Tsunade shot back.

"I'll give you until sunset tomorrow to decide." Orochimaru replied. Then he made a form of signal to his troops and they backed away. Tsunade's hands shook with rage.

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Naruto bit his lip as he looked at Shin. Those who were near the gates had heard Orochimaru's demands. Soon everyone would be talking about it. Naruto knew one thing for certain. He would not give his friend over to Orochimaru. Shin nipped at her lower lip in nervousness. That was when Naruto saw Rekka stalking forward. Aiko was behind her, as well as Takahiro, Moriko, Isamu and Yuu. Rekka wrapped her arms around Shin protectively. The others surrounded Shin and Naruto walked over nervously.

"Tsunade won't give Shin to Orochimaru." Naruto assured. Rekka nodded nervously. She didn't let go of Shin. Aiko grabbed hold of Naruto.

"You're one of us too Naruto." Aiko whispered. Naruto nodded.

"I won't let anyone take Shin either you know." Naruto told Rekka. Rekka gave Naruto a half smile.

"I know Naruto. But here in this village, things aren't run by you. I don't expect you to go against your village for us." Rekka stated.

"Kakashi-Sensei told us, Sasuke, Sakura and I, that those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. I'm not going to abandon you guys." Naruto said seriously. Rekka smiled at the blond.

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Tsunade slammed into her office to find Koharu and Homura standing there. She glared fiercely.

"What is it that you two would like?" Tsunade asked coldly.

"The council has decided that you should agree to Orochimaru's demands." Koharu stated solemnly.

"I'm not doing that." Tsunade replied.

"You would risk this village for one girl? A girl who is not even a citizen of our village? It's preposterous to think that our forces and our village should be put in danger for one girl." Homura shot out. That was when the door to the office slammed open and Rekka walked in.

"This is a private meeting." Koharu said to the young woman. Rekka glared angrily.

"You are discussing one of _my_ people. If anyone gives her up it would be me and without my permission there is nothing you can do. That is unless, of course, you would like to make an enemy of _me._ This is something that I can assure you that you do not want." Rekka hissed. The council members looked at her with disdain.

"You are one woman. I wouldn't be so quick to make threats if I were you." Koharu hissed back. Rekka smirked.

"And what are you if not one woman? If I heard correctly, Tsunade has already rejected your decision. So what makes you think you're any better off than I am? I will not allow one of my own to be traded off like cattle. As you said, Shin is not a member of your village. Why should she sacrifice herself for you?" Rekka asked.

"The lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few." Homura replied.

"And when Orochimaru comes back and he wants your granddaughter?" Rekka asked Homura. The man remained silent. Then Rekka looked at Koharu.

"Or what about when he wants your Granddaughter? Or when he wants your life? Will you make the same sacrifice again? Is Orochimaru a God who you make human sacrifices to, to keep him appeased? Are you cowering sheep?" Rekka shot out her questions, anger and ice laced her words. Koharu and Homura stared at Rekka angrily.

"Rekka is right. Konoha is a _strong_ village. We do not hand over human sacrifices to get rid of our enemies. We _fight_ and _we die_ as Shinobi. There will be no more talk of giving up Shin." Tsunade stated. Koharu narrowed her eyes.

"This girl is not a citizen of Konoha. How do you expect our Shinobi to give their lives for someone who is not one of us?" Koharu asked coldly.

"As soon as this group, the Outcasts, entered our village, they warranted our protection. They came and they helped us to rebuild, they helped with the injured and the dead. The Outcasts are members of this village now. They are citizens. Nothing will change that." Tsunade stated. Koharu and Homura glared but knew that the battle was lost.

"The blood of our Shinobi will be on your hands Tsunade." Koharu stated before she left the office with Homura. Tsunade and Rekka waited for a few moments until they were sure that there was no one to eavesdrop on them. Tsunade looked at Rekka.

"I'm sorry about them. They like to think they're helping the village." Tsunade consoled. Rekka nodded.

"I know. Naruto told me a lot about how this village is run. To be very honest with you Tsunade-San, a village needs one leader. A council that doesn't serve that leader shouldn't exist. In any other country or kingdom, the leader's decision is final and a council helps the leader to carry out that decision. I don't know why you don't just elect a new council." Rekka stated. Tsunade blinked.

"You might just have a point Rekka. But I'm sure you came to my office for other reasons, that don't concern Konoha's council." Tsunade quipped. Rekka nodded.

"I came because I thought I would ask if it might be a good idea to test Shin's DNA. After all Orochimaru couldn't have created Shin using only his DNA. If her mother lives here, or her fellow DNA contributor, then..." Rekka trailed off.

"Then Orochimaru couldn't claim her away from the village without the consent of the other contributor." Tsunade finished. Rekka nodded.

"It was Itachi's idea. I was discussing the situation with him and he came up with that solution." Rekka told Tsunade. Tsunade nodded her understanding.

"Thank him for me and bring Shin in immediately. I'll scan her blood against all the Shinobi DNA profiles that we have on file here and we will soon find out whether Shin's DNA contributor is here in Konoha. Orochimaru wouldn't have used the blood of an ordinary villager." Tsunade stated firmly.

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Sasuke and Sakura watched as Naruto tried to calm down the other members of the Outcasts.

"There is no way that we'll just let anyone hand Shin over to Orochimaru!" Takahiro yelled angrily.

"Damn right." Moriko stated softly.

"No one is giving Shin to Orochimaru, will you guys calm down." Isamu stated tiredly.

"It's true. Tsunade is a good leader and a good woman. She won't let anyone hand Shin over." Aiko sided with Isamu. Yuu nodded.

"We must remain calm. Rekka has already gone to speak with Tsunade and learn her intentions. Until then we have to be calm." Yuu consoled. Shin clenched her fists as she bit at her lower lip. Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder and she nodded her assurance that she was alright. That was when Rekka returned.

"Shin I want you to come with me to see Tsunade." Rekka said calmly. The others looked at Rekka, wondering what was going on.

"Tsunade has no intentions of handing Shin to Orochimaru. But we should still keep a look out. I'm more concerned about what the council of elders here might try." Rekka stated. The group nodded. Even Sakura and Sasuke nodded their understanding. All Shinobi in Konoha knew the council opposed Tsunade at every turn. They knew that the council had wanted to declare Naruto a missing nin and Tsunade had refused them, with a verbal battle that raged for six months afterwards. For some reason they seemed to enjoy battling Tsunade over every decision she made.

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Tsunade was sat behind her desk when a shadow appeared near her window.

"Jiraiya, you should really start being more civilised and use a door." Tsunade stated without looking up from her files. Jiraiya jumped in through the window.

"You're worried about what you'll find when you test the kid's blood." Jiraiya commented. Tsunade nodded.

"God knows what Orochimaru did or whose DNA he used to create Shin from thin air. There are plenty of Shinobi we can rule out, thanks to Shin's age, but we have no idea how many different forms of DNA there might be within her." Tsunade said softly.

"You think that there is more than two sets of DNA in the kid?" Jiraiya asked. Tsunade nodded.

"We'll soon see." Tsunade commented. It was at that moment that the door opened and Rekka entered with Shin.

"Shin, has Rekka explained what we want to do?" Tsunade asked. Shin nodded.

"I understand and I'll agree to be tested. I hope that you can find whoever else contributed to my creation. It'd be nice to have a parent that I can be proud of." Shin replied. Tsunade nodded and led Shin to the lab, where she took several vials of her blood. As soon as the blood was handed over, the lab technicians started to work, entering microscope slides of Shin's blood into DNA readers and allowing the testing to take its course.

"When will you have the definite results?" Tsunade asked.

"Tomorrow, most definitely before sundown, Tsunade-Sama." One of the technicians replied. Tsunade nodded.

"As soon as you have the definite results I want them bought to my office straight away." Tsunade stated. The technician nodded and then Tsunade left with Shin.

"I will tell you as soon as I know." Tsunade told the teenager. Shin nodded and as they walked back to Tsunade's office, and then Shin left with Rekka, Tsunade couldn't help wondering whether or not Shin would find the answers she was looking for.

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Tsunade was staring at the test results, gobsmacked. Her eyes were wide and she had lost all semblance of calm once she'd read the paper before her. Jiraiya entered the office through the window once again.

"The kid's test results?" Jiraiya asked. Tsunade nodded.

"They can't be that shocking." Jiraiya stated. Tsunade handed Jiraiya the paper without a word. Jiraiya scanned the results and his own eyes went wide and he dropped the paper on the floor. Then Jiraiya gave a slight cough, picked up the paper and regained some of his composure.

"Well I always knew we'd have kids together. I kinda thought it would happen the old fashioned way though. Not to mention we're sharing with our Sensei and Orochimaru." Jiraiya tried to joke. Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Well it's up to us to tell Shin what we found and now it's up to us to protect her, the best way we can." Tsunade stated firmly.

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Okay all that's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	15. Who I Am

Okay all, here is the next chapter of Duty Over Hell. I hope you all enjoy it. I know I've made you all wait forever for an update but with my University work to do I've had no time to update my fics really. So now that I've finished Uni, I will hopefully have more time to update.

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Duty Over Hell.

Chapter Fifteen – Who I Am.

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Shin looked at Tsunade curiously as the woman sat behind her desk.

"So I'm assuming you're going to tell me who my other contributors are or were?" Shin asked.

"You have three contributors apart from Orochimaru." Tsunade replied. Rekka stood to the side. Shin had insisted on her closest friend being there when she heard whatever Tsunade was going to say. "Your other contributors were Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage." Tsunade said.

"Doesn't that make Asuma-San my brother or something?" Shin asked.

"In a weird way, yes. The other two contributors are Jiraiya and myself." Tsunade finished.

"Does that make you my mother? Wow that's weird." Shin said.

"Stranger then you know Shin." Tsunade replied.

"Orochimaru took DNA without asking any of us, obviously, so it's rather strange to hear that we're the parents of a teenage daughter." Jiraiya added from the window. Shin and Rekka glared at him for a moment.

"If you're my father aren't you supposed to be setting me a good example by not climbing in through windows?" Shin asked. Jiraiya shrugged.

"I've never been the type to set an example in that respect kid. Sorry to disappoint." Jiraiya replied. Shin shook her head.

"No you're not a disappointment. If you grew up under Orochimaru's thumb you'd know what disappointment really was." Shin replied.

"At any rate. It's up to Jiraiya and I to decide whether we would wish to hand you over to Orochimaru and we certainly won't be doing that." Tsunade said.

"Don't I get a say in this Hokage-Sama?" The group turned to see Asuma Sarutobi, cigarette hanging from his lips and lighter in hand.

"Only if it's positive." Tsunade replied. Shin looked at Asuma carefully. She'd been told enough about the people of the village by Naruto over the time she'd known him, to recognise Asuma on sight.

"I'd rather you were honest. Do you think I should hand myself over?" Shin asked. Her mixed matched eyes stared straight into Asuma's brown ones. Asuma opened his lighter, then closed it, realising he was in the Hokage's office. Then he took a look at Shin. He'd had one older brother and no sisters. With his father dead, Asuma had taken responsibility for his brother's only child, Konohamaru, and in that time Asuma had learned what responsibility was. Not just responsibility for the village, but responsibility for one human life.

"If you had asked me this question ten years ago, I would have said yes. But right now, at this moment, I would say no." Asuma replied.

"Why?" Shin asked. Rekka, Tsunade and Jiraiya stayed quiet, all waiting for his answer. Asuma took the cigarette from between his lips and looked at Shin, seeing for the first time that she did bear striking similarities to his father. Not so much in the way she looked, though Asuma could say for certain that Shin had the same ears he did. It was more the way she looked at him, as though she already knew the answer to the question but was waiting for him to confirm it, so that she could tell him he was right. That was the feeling he'd always gotten from his father.

"Ten years ago, I thought that being a Shinobi was all about protecting this village and it's people. Then my father posed me a question before he died. It took me a while to figure out the answer, he died before I could figure it out. But I did figure it out." Asuma said slowly.

"What question was that?" Shin asked.

"If the Hokage isn't the King who is? That was the question. It took me a long time to figure out who the King is." Asuma replied.

"It's not that hard." Shin stated. The four other occupants of the room stared at Shin waiting. "They say that Hiruzen Sarutobi was a great thinker. Orochimaru said that he was called 'The Professor' because of how smart he was. But he was also a good man. He cared about the people of this village. To a man like him that answer is very simple." Shin added.

"Then what's the answer?" Asuma asked.

"Children. The future of your village should be the King. The children are the ones you should be protecting because they're the ones that will make the future and build the village to further greatness." Shin replied. Asuma felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the thoughtful teen standing before him. Asuma nodded.

"You're right. It took me a long time to figure it out. But you are right. You are my blood, and even though you're surely fifteen years old, you're still a child." Asuma said softly.

"Actually I'm sixteen. But in a lot of ways you're right. I raised myself, I've lived with the outcasts for years, hiding away, I've learned to fight, but I've still got a lot to learn. If I'm going to learn anywhere I'd rather it be on my terms. Not Orochimaru's." Shin replied.

"Well then that solves the problem. Shin is a member of this village. A part of three families. She has every right to protection from the village." Asuma said to Tsunade.

"That was never in doubt. Whether she was a part of this village by blood ties or not, she always had a right to protection." Tsunade shot out. Asuma nodded.

"I know. I meant that for the sake of the council members who are as of this moment listening outside your office door." Asuma stated cheerfully. "Now if you'll excuse me, I want to go and smoke my cigarette. Shin, if you would like some training or to speak to me at any point, just come and find me. Shikamaru usually knows where I am, and if he doesn't Lady Tsunade does." Asuma finished. Then he left the room, leaving the door wide open and revealing the faces of Homura, Koharu and Danzo in his wake.

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Naruto found himself sitting on the decking outside the Uchiha main house. He was staring at a crack that ran through one of the Uchiha crests that marked the wall. If Naruto had to guess, he would have said a kunai made that mark, thrown by a strong and precise arm, with a great deal of force. He wondered if he was like that symbol now, cracked and broken and waiting for repair. That was when Itachi sat next to him.

"What are you thinking about Naruto?" Itachi asked. Naruto looked at the symbol again and back at Itachi.

"Who did that? Made that mark in the wall?" Naruto asked.

"I did. Before the massacre of my clan. I was angry at how everyone just seemed to want power. I was angry at a lot of things, not the least of all that I wasn't sure how to handle everything that was going on. I wasn't even sure if I was being the best brother, the best son, the best Shinobi, that I could be. I learned many things as I got older, and one of the things I learned is that you never forget your past, but you learn more lessons and with your past it helps to define your future. You do everything you can to become the best you can be, and that is all you can do Naruto." Itachi said. He stood up. Naruto looked up at him, and felt a hand gently ruffle his hair. "You're not broken Naruto. You're not cracked or beyond repair. You're healing. There will always be scars Naruto, but you will heal." Itachi said softly. Then left Naruto to think to himself once more.

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Shin looked in on the smaller members of the Outcasts. She always did before she went to sleep at any rate. She knew that Orochimaru would wipe out Konoha if they didn't hand her over. Or maybe Konoha would win, but the price would be steep. Many thought that she had no idea what was going on, but she had heard Tsunade and Jiraiya arguing with the council. She had heard the rumours. The village was already in terrible disrepair. The walls weren't even fully functional yet, and so many were still injured that Konoha's fighting force was down to mostly Genin's, some Chunin's and few Jounin's who had recovered, or come back from missions. Every Shinobi was trying to ready themselves, but Shin feared there weren't enough of them to protect the innocents. This was the first place, apart from with the Outcasts, that had ever given Shin a home. Tsunade, Jiraiya, Asuma and Konohamaru were her blood relatives. She had gotten to know them, and the fear of them all dying just to protect her, made everything weigh heavily on her mind. It was this night that she decided she had to give herself over. If she handed herself over to Orochimaru, they would leave and Konoha would be safe, at least until they could build up their defences again. At least, Shin was hoping that was how it would go. But she knew, with Orochimaru, nothing was ever as simple as it seemed, especially when it came to him keeping his word. She knew they would eventually come to get her so she didn't take any of her things. She only hoped that Rekka would forgive her for leaving. As she made her way towards the gates of the village she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see the spiky blond hair of Naruto.

"I knew you'd try this Shin. You're so quick to sacrifice yourself. Orochimaru won't keep his word. He'll attack anyway. So what are you going to accomplish by handing yourself over?" Naruto asked.

"I'll at least know I tried." Shin replied. The pair stared at each other for many long moments.

"Fine. I'll be going with you then. I'll follow so that we know where you are, and I'll make sure that Orochimaru doesn't get the chance to kill you." Naruto replied.

"You can't do that Naruto. If you do you're putting yourself in danger, and that might be exactly what they want." Shin shot back.

"Of course that's what they want Shin. They want you, to draw others, to draw me, to draw Sasuke and Kakashi, so they can carry on experimenting on the Sharingan. You're leaving won't accomplish anything Shin except giving them what they wanted in the first place, bait for a trap." Naruto said.

"I know you're right. But if I don't go, Orochimaru will attack and he will kill hundreds, maybe thousands of people. Konoha's defences aren't nearly up to scratch to keep him out. He knows what damage he did and he knows how weak Konoha is at the moment. The only way to maybe save Konoha is for me to hand myself over. I know I'd have to survive until the village was back on its feet and I know I'd be a prisoner for a long time. But at least lives would be saved." Shin said.

"What if he wants to take your life Shin? He doesn't need you alive to draw us you know. He could easily pretend he has you locked in a dungeon, lure us out, only to find you're already dead. You know Orochimaru, Shin. He named you Shinigami because he's a cruel bastard. He created you from four strands of DNA and then tried to raise you to be a monster like he is. He's capable of anything." Naruto said. Shin sighed.

"It'll be too late tomorrow." Shin said sadly.

"Yeah, I know Orochimaru comes tomorrow. But I'd rather fight for my friends and family here, then go and fight that bastard in his lair on his terms. Wouldn't you?" Naruto asked. Shin cocked her head to the side to think about it for a moment, then nodded her agreement.

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Okay, so that's it for this chapter. I've got plans for the next chapter already in the pipelines people, so don't worry, it will eventually appear. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	16. When The Sun Is At Its Highest Point

Hi everyone. Here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I really appreciate it.

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Duty Over Hell.

Chapter Sixteen – When The Sun Is At Its Highest Point.

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It was Aiko who noticed Shin's absence, as well as Naruto's, when she heard no screams in the night. Naruto's nightmares had never really gone away. Naruto would wake often during the night, and Aiko would often go and comfort him. This hadn't changed. His friends in Konoha didn't know about Naruto's nightmares and Naruto did not tell them, and neither did Aiko. But she knew Naruto and Shin were gone when she woke at three o clock in the morning and realised that Naruto had not cried out that night. She had gone to check on Naruto and finding him gone, had immediately gone to check on Shin. After all, she was the one that Orochimaru wanted, so she was the one in the most danger to disappear. Once Aiko had confirmed for herself that they were both gone, she went to wake Rekka. After all, if there was anyone who would know what to do it would be her.

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"So this village... Konoha... could be a home right? Not just for me or you, but for the others?" Shin questioned Naruto.

"Well Rekka has already proven that she won't take any crap from the council. So Tsunade Baa-Chan already thinks she's great. Besides, Baa-Chan will give you all citizenship if you want it. Aiko wants to stay, mainly to help Kimmimaru, Rekka will probably stay, because of the whole 'Tai being an Uchiha' thing so that Tai has two Uncles to look out for him and teach him how to use that Sharingan he'll probably have when he gets older. I know that you want to get to know Baa-Chan, Ero-Sennin and Asuma-Sensei better at any rate. You could all make this home Shin. If you all want to. Once you're citizens, no one can come and take you all away. No other village can claim any of you. You'll all have protection here. So I really hope you guys do decide to stay." Naruto answered Shin seriously. It was getting later as they sat on a bench talking. That was until they heard footsteps running towards them from within the village. They were on the only road out, so Naruto assumed that it was Rekka and Aiko looking for them. He was proved right when the honey blonde and red head came round the corner and stopped in their tracks.

"What are you two doing out here?" Aiko asked.

"We're just talking about things." Naruto replied. It was up to Shin to tell them she had been thinking of leaving, not him. Shin stood up and went over to Rekka.

"I was gonna go and hand myself over. I wanted to stop a war. But Naruto made a few good points. The main one being that Orochimaru wouldn't stop anyways. He'd still attack the village because he wants Sasuke and Kakashi's Sharingan." Shin said. Rekka gave Shin a kind smile, and pulled the girl into a one armed hug.

"You can be such an idiot sometimes Shin. Like I'd let you give yourself up. I'd come and get you. You are my best friend. You're my sister in every way that even counts. So don't go and throw yourself to Orochimaru. That bastard is a snake, and you can never take him at his word." Rekka said sadly. Shin nodded.

"I know. But... you guys, the Outcasts, are the only family I've ever really known. Now, on top of that, I have... two other parents, a brother and a nephew. It's weird, I've never really had to think about all of this before. I don't want anyone getting hurt on behalf of me. I just... I don't think I can stop it happening." Shin stated. Rekka nodded.

"I know. But remember this Shin. This isn't about you. He's not doing this for you. He's doing this because he thinks he can use you as bait to get Sasuke and Kakashi somehow. Maybe because he knows Naruto will come after you, and they'll go after him. It's about getting at them, not getting to you." Rekka assured. Shin nodded and the group headed back to the Uchiha district. All hoping to catch some rest before the attack.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT DAY xXxXxXx

The whole village were on tenterhooks, waiting for Orochimaru to attack. It was when the sun hit the highest point in the sky that Tsunade saw Orochimaru's army approaching. She climbed up to the top of the gates to the village with ease and Orochimaru's army stopped in it's tracks.

"Have you made your decision Tsunade-Hime?" Orochimaru asked.

"Did you ask me before you took my DNA to create Shin?" Tsunade asked angrily. Orochimaru smirked.

"Well you and Jiraiya aren't getting any younger. I thought you'd appreciate the fact that your DNA will live on." Orochimaru replied.

"Shin is a member of this village. As such she is entitled to our protection. There is no way we're handing her over to you." Tsunade stated. Orochimaru smirked.

"Very well Tsunade, I guess we'll have to settle this the old fashioned way." Orochimaru said. With one gesture of his hand, the army began their attack.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura stuck together and close to the outcasts when the fighting started. Shinobi were placed all over the village at points to make sure that no enemy ninja got close to the civilians of Konoha. Having hidden the people early this morning in their usual hiding spots all around the village, the Shinobi and Kunoichi of Konoha were certain of their mission. Damage to the village could be repaired. Death could not. They would not allow the death toll to rise. Itachi and Rekka were amongst those ready to fight, so were Shin, Moriko, Aiko, Isamu, Takahiro and Yuu, and even Kimmimaru had pulled himself out of his hospital bed. He refused to lie in bed while his sister fought alone. Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were in their own group near the hospital, ready to stop anyone who wanted to go in and hurt those who were unable to be moved. As the sun reached the highest point in the sky, they all heard the sounds of war at the gate and everyone prepared for the fight of their lives.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiraiya was standing on top of the Hokage mountain with Kakashi and some of the other Jonin. As soon as he saw Orochimaru's forces start to head for the gates, he gave his own signal. That was when all the fire users lit great piles of kindling set up in catapults. Then they were fired, and it was like there were thirty suns in the sky as the great balls of fire shot through the air and landed on the attacking army outside the gates. The battle had begun.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay this is a short chapter, I know. I just wanted to get it this chapter out with all the other updates. There will be more action next chapter. Please R&R and let me know what you all think and I will hopefully be updating soon.


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